Rookie Reds
by eatwithjin
Summary: I Don't Want This Kind of Hero fanfic. When you're a so-called rookie hero fighting to keep her place, it's probably not the best of luck to have a drug lord hitting on you. Yes to the throwing punches and kicking ass, but could do without the hanging out, making out? Central pairing is Dana/Osu!
1. the night is descending

**just so you know:** wow, okay, so Rookie Reds is my first fic that I've written for a different fandom, (I was writing Legend of Zelda for the past 6 years) so please bear with me. in addition to the summary, RR will be romantically centered about Dana who is Vice Chief of SPOON and Osu who is a member of Real Knife so this AU takes place before the canon storyline, but as the story progresses, there will be some characters and events aligned to canon-idwtkoh. what else, uhhh, idwtkoh is a Korean webtoon and so there will be honorifics and food and stuff that I'll be using and be sure to note for everyone!

one last thing, i've pretty much wanted to write this cause of an info bot on twitter that releases half-canon, half-not facts about idwtkoh, one tweet translating to: **When Dana and Osu first met, they didn't like each other…**

thanks for choosing to read RR :)

 **Rookie Reds**

 **.**

 **1\. the night is descending**

 **.**

If this mission was following the way Dana had planned it, then it might have well been doomed from the start.

All factors would point to the fact that her team wasn't unified in the first place, which was to be expected. They were mix-matched from different teams almost as though Chief SPOON decided to pluck a single jigsaw piece from multiple sets and then purposely left these pieces to figure out the whole picture as they were.

However, this was a problem Dana could handle as Vice Chief. Although she thought of herself as more of a whole-picture-solo-piece, she had to quiet down her teammates. Somehow, they separated into two people arguing from either side of her. Their combined voices of both aggravation and apathy were grating on her nerves. There appeared to be no other choice then to force them to calm her down, _now_.

"Shut up!" she interjected. It worked for one argument, but for the other, she shoved one head nearly to the ground. Now that everyone's attention was on her, she elaborated on the situation: "Even though the enemy knows our location, we were told to standby. I know that we're outnumbered, but that doesn't matter since I'll just crush everyone." For a moment, Dana motivated herself, but then she brought up, "Apparently that's against SPOON's rules, but for some inexplicable reason, I'm required to rollcall everyone. But that's just how we work, valuing uselessness over—"

" _Dana_."

"What, Dune?"

A hand raised in the air, cigarette smoke hazily streaming underneath. "Just follow them without any more grievance, alright?"

"Whatever. Claude?"

Another hand in the air, but along with gleaming eyes underneath a striped beanie and a low chuckle.

"Jelina-sunbae?"

A jellyfish-human hissed underneath her breath, side-eying glares at Claude.

"And Sunbaenim?"

From underneath her hand, she heard, "You can release me, Vice Chief." In that instant, Dana realized her mistake for snatching the head of their most experienced member. Consequently, she bowed hers in apology.

"It's okay. I'm not dead." Glasses askew, he took one glance around the darkened corner they were 'regrouping themselves' in. "Not yet anyway."

"See, Doyoung-sunbaenim, this is the kind of thinking that'll kill us in the end." Dune sighed.

Beside him, Claude nudged his shoulder and snickered. "I'd always imagine our deaths would be side by side."

"I can't do this anymore!" Jelina whipped her head left and right, causing every member to duck out of her proximity, knowing full well that the ends of her long tentacle-hair carried venom. Still, Dana returned cautiously toward her side just to pat her not-venomous shoulder. "If they don't get to us, then it's just going to be us grabbing at each other's throats! You, first!" Claude chuckled in face of her threat, but the Vice Chief couldn't suffer through another argument. "If you don't quit smiling like that for another second, I'll—"

"Stop right there, sunbae." Of course, Dana had to speak up when her teammates were halfway convinced that Jelina was right. As the leader, she stepped forward for everyone to see and declared, "It was my first plan has gotten us cornered, so I thought of a new one."

Claude edged closer to the Vice Chief. "That will also get us cornered?"

Realistic, she replied, "Yeah, actually." Crouching down where everyone can see the center, she lowered a blueprint upon her phone. With a tap, the screen enlarged to a corner of a rectangular room, which everyone took a stab as their current location. "We're not stuck here. We have the advantage cause the villains are complete morons. Thanks to Claude," she added in, causing the aforementioned to flash a smug smile, "this entire room is in darkness, and that threw off our enemy. But pretty soon, I'm saying in like two minutes, they're going to find our exact location, and we need to be at the opposite corner. Look, where those double doors are. You see? So here's what we need to do."

"Jelina-sunbae." Arms crossed, she would meet eyes only with the Vice Chief. "I know you're more suited for stealth missions, but I need you to distract. Dune and I will back you up, but we're attacking on my call. Our roles are only to knock out as many as possible, if not all." That sounded simple enough to Jelina and Dune. They nodded. To the last two, Dana instructed, "Claude, I think they have enough brains to think that you're going to escape, and you are, kinda. But I want you to fight with us, but your role is to shadow Sunbaenim until he gets to those double doors."

There was no need to specify Doyoung's part when he and Claude simultaneously gave a thumbs-up to Dana, then to each other. A hush fell over them as their leader attempted to instinctively detect the locations of their enemies. Some say her capability was due to her animalistic nature, a few swore it was echolocation, but whatever it was–it wasn't working for her now.

"Looks like we're staying put a while longer," growled Dana, continuously checking over her shoulder.

For the others, they were somewhat exasperated with their stationary positions, but made no movements to rush into battle. The Vice Chief's orders were final, even when they go against her own impulses. This was all the more frustrating for her, however what good could her team do? As if answering all their thoughts, their eldest member shuffled around in his seat, before clicking on a flashlight, just beaming it below his throat.

"Children, look."

"Nice bowtie."

"Don't encourage him, Claude."

"Why're we looking at your tie?"

Before either Dune or Dana could stop Jelina from saying exactly that, Doyoung answered at once, "I'm glad you asked because I wouldn't be wearing this if it wasn't for my dearest, darling, devoted, beloved as love itself, adorably adorable—"

"I immediately regret this."

"—the brightest in both appearance and intelligence, oh, brighter than sunshine, lovely as love itself—"

"As you should be."

"—my daughter. She's my daughter," he repeated as though none of them could've guessed it. They didn't, but not because they weren't thinking hard enough. "This morning, the light of my life observed my collar was a tad bare, and she's well aware of my dislike for neckties, so she suggested a bowtie."

To make up for her mistake, Jelina replied, "Why does it matter?"

 _Wrong_ , thought Dana and chanced another glance behind. No sign of those morons. No one blamed her knocking the back of her head against the wall when Doyoung continued to talk. "Because now I can teach all of you how to tie a bowtie. It's interesting, this process." Then the light pointed before him brightened his other palm which was cluttered with a rainbow of undone bowties. "We have time to kill, do we not?"

Blockhead understanding blockhead logic, Claude reached for two, one black-striped and the other basic brown, and handed the brown to Dune. "Sounds fun."

"Wait, wait, I don't understand," protested Dune, staring down distastefully at the tie. At least, he thought he was. "Are we really going to tie a bowtie in the dark?"

This was a serious concern, but Claude simply waved his hand, the darkness succumbing just enough, and he laughed, "C'mon, babe, you know I'll handle it."

"I'm already wearing a bow," retorted Jelina, pinching her purplish-pink ribbon.

With an offhand shrug, Doyoung handed her a purplish-pink bowtie. "Wear another, Jelina-ssi." The others were a breeze to convince, compared to the Vice Chief who was ignoring the irrelevant chatter as the enemies were nowhere nearby. Honestly, it wasn't hard to find the heroes, when their voices were not completely enveloped in the darkness, but then again they weren't here. A line of fabric brushed her knee and, groaning, Dana frowned at Doyoung's smile. "Indulge me a little, Vice Chief?"

If it was considered disrespectful to decline a senior's ridiculous favor, Dana didn't know. Still she wouldn't take her chances since there really was no harm. Not physically, when she picked up the scarlet bowtie and held it up to her glare, which was coincidentally scarlet.

Having no notice, or pretending not to, Doyoung undid his bowtie and started off, "First, you must position one end of the tie lower than the other…"

Somehow, the others were obediently following his instructions, but Dana was somewhat off. Not that she wasn't tying a bowtie in the middle of a mission, in fact it might had been a good call to do exactly that, the only reason being that she needed to keep her hands busy. Everyone could tell that she was the most anxious to get into the action, nonetheless Dana was also the most obligated to follow the most basics of strategies. She had to wonder if Doyoung had noticed how balled her fists were, practically trembling to deck someone in the throat, however she scoffed. In all likelihood, he wanted to brag about his daughter.

"Grab the left and right sides to tweak them before the lowest end… Yeah, you got it, Dune- _ssi_."

Unexpectedly, no one else but Dana's eyes widened. Footsteps were distant, but they were definitely there. Fingers twitching, she narrowly ripped the bowtie in half. Half of her attention was hanging onto Doyoung's words, but the other strained to hear the villains' voices.

"Pull just half of that lowest end through the gap behind the bow… Vice Chief, you've done—"

At that moment, the others took notice that their leader was onto something. It was when she turned to them with such urgency that they'd no need to even glance into her exuberant expression. Hands lowering from their necks, the team slowly stood when Dana correctly estimated the second the villains walked past their hiding spot.

Shattered boards of wood showered the enemies who were predictably caught off guard. And then in a fashion alike to injured disorientated bunnies did they stare up upon the pack of ravenous wolves, their alpha without a snarl full of fangs, but with a much more terrifying scarlet glower.

Not that the others weren't as less terrifying.

Just as vehement as the Vice Chief, Jelina skipped into the ambush with her doll-like dress and her tentacles poised to sting. Flowing as though the battlefield was underwater, she pierced a villainous nobody behind her, then paralyzed a knife-wielder meters away. No longer were their bodies their own when the toxins penetrated their skin, sending them to a state of unconsciousness. As if she didn't know the meaning of 'stealth missions', Jelina attempted a flashy display as she envenomed the four surrounding her. It was truly terrifying to see that for her first time, she succeeded quite easily.

Unfortunately for her, one tentacle-lock hooked into a fallen enemy. What's more, a pair noticed her struggle with the light glinting off their metal bats. Hoping to instill fear, Jelina raised her other tentacles even as she yanked on the stubborn lock, refusing to budge. Yet their bats were moving, closing, rising above her.

But then she couldn't mistake that infuriating, low chuckle when their shadows quivered, before swallowing them up. No longer tied to their owners, the shadows then slipped to where a mass of darkness took control of the corner. There the two were released in what appeared to them as a lightless room, unknown of where or how far away the walls were. This simple realization triggered one hooligan's grip to loosen his metal bat, but they didn't hear the sound of metal meeting concrete. Rather, they felt the metal meeting the back of their heads.

A moment later, their unconscious bodies were returned to the bright outside. Lucky for them, being knocked out meant they couldn't feel a foot in their shoulder. Dune noticed right away with a glance behind him, and he faced forward just to duck a fist in his face. A breath of smoke from his lips, Dune whipped his hand through to strike his enemy aside the neck. Fixating back to Claude, he mumbled to himself that as long as he was smoking, he needed to stay away from the heroes' skill-users.

Especially the one who was eliminating the enemies so drastically.

He, plus Claude and Jelina, had to know how their Vice Chief was faring. Keeping their lips together, they swept their eyes over the dozens of people scattered around her feet. Without a hint of mercy, she kicked a body out of the way before striding to Jelina's aid. A jellyfish-human wasn't meant to be venomous for continuous close combat. She dodged then cheered for the Vice Chief as she gripped the throat of one poor hoodlum. Like a ragdoll, he was tossed backward, momentarily flying, and then plunged upon another poorer soul. Both knocked out instantly. A third was roundhouse kicked in the gut and then into oblivion. Dune didn't need to tell her, but Jelina observed that Dana favored her legs more. It was a series of repetition as she kicked a face here, one in the nose there, and rather harsh and literal takes on "kicking major ass."

A few villains were left, however, the heroes should've known the mission couldn't be this easy. They could deduce that because Dune was farthest away from them, the villains' boss singled him out, before charging him into the air.

When he plummeted, wooden boxes broke his fall, but it was worse than the floor. Immediately, Claude ended whoever he was fighting to check Dune, finding that his side was conspicuously gored and a sharp-edged board in his shoulder. Even in this situation, he fussed with a strained smile as Dana and Jelina protectively stood between them and the boss.

Slow, but surely, he ambled toward them and paid no attention to his comrades escaping. It was good news that they've only one villain left, nonetheless the heroes eyed the thick cords of muscle roping around his rooms and those humongous horns alongside his temple. Their jaws clenched, they heard Dune calmly inform that his horns were coated with steel.

"Steel?" repeated Dana, punching a red-beaten fist against her palm. "No problem."

Joined by her blatant self-confidence, Jelina and Claude whooped in unison, "Go, Vice Chief! Kick his ass!"

On the other hand, Dune coughed then advised, "A bull-hybrid can't be all brute strength." Below his breath, he warned, "Neither should you."

"I got it, I got it, just stay put."

With that, she closed the distance between her and the enemy. She thought she had the advantage with her strength plus speed, but his was those huge horns. Since her fist was aimed for his gut, all he had to do was drop his head toward her abdomen, almost gutting her. It probably wasn't the best idea to aim any lower, she reasoned inwardly, throwing her head back, and hardly missing a horn to the brain. Thinking quickly, she trained her sights upon his back.

Just as quickly, Dana sidestepped behind him, this time chucking her left leg toward his head. To her surprise, he heaved his head back. Somehow, his body did not fold in half when he stared down Dana upside-down. In this situation, she would've scoffed, but her ankle had caught into his horn.

"Shit," she muttered, before being flung over his head and crashing, splitting the ground.

Cries of "Vice Chief!" and "Dana!" echoed across the room, but she got up just fine even with blood trailing down her temple. This time around, as Dana rushed head-first into the fight, she called in return, "Jelina! Claude!"

What was left was to hope the heroes understood when she halted by her enemy's side where the horn blocked his peripheral vision. Still, that didn't matter to him. Those hulking horns swept right over, but Dana was prepared. After she ducked, she seized both horns, perilously close to the steeled tips. The bull-hybrid knew she was struggling to overpower him, and her team were to aid her attempt. Again, no matter, as he glanced back at them—unmoving, on the edge of their seats—before slighting his head. The sharpened tips were suddenly digging through her palms.

As tough as she was, Dana wasn't obvious with her weakening, however, her fingers couldn't wrap around his horns when they were digging into her hands. The bull-hybrid shared the same belief as her; showing no mercy with the bulk of his strength digging further, further until his horns penetrated through, slick with blood. Time couldn't have moved any slower as she bared gritted teeth and eyed the shadows slithering to the villain's side, before releasing Jelina upon him.

Starry-eyed, she embraced the Vice Chief and exclaimed, "Wow! You didn't even need to kick his ass to kick his ass! And-and I've never seen so many villains' open graves before!"

"They're not dead," she said, clenching her fists. Blood seeped through the front and back of her hands, but the pain was dulled. Her gaze to the other side of the room, she walked. "But they should feel like it."

With his arm looped across Claude's shoulders, Dune muttered, "You alright, Dana?" Just a nod. "You had to be over the top?"

"You know it."

"I thought you were impressive, my love," laughed Claude, twining their fingers on his shoulder, "but damn, Dana, that's a record for the largest lot of losers in one room."

"Thanks, Claude."

"Hello, young'uns." The four before Doyoung didn't appear to exhibit their supposed youth when they were worn out from the fight. Wiggling his fingers, Doyoung teased, "Need some magic touch?" With their consent, he touched and healed Jelina's and Claude's minor injuries, but for Dana and Dune, he pressed his fingers into their wounds for a while longer. After rolling down his shirt, Dune finally brought up, "What happened to the doors?"

Where the keyhole should be was blasted away, conspicuously emitting a line of smoke. Doyoung inquired, "Whatever _did_ happen to the doors?"

Indifferent, Dana clapped his shoulder. "Good job, Sunbaenim." Then to everyone else, she said, "Alright. When we pass these doors, we have one mission, right?" For those who didn't know, there was the slightest drop to their expressions, but Dune shook his head for them anyway. "We're looking for any evidence of that dangerous something-or-other drug. Alright? We're in."

With a single kick to the double doors, the heroes were exposed to the heart of the warehouse, which was a room impossibly larger than the darkened room they'd hidden in. If they thought there was a lot of boxes before, there were innumerably much more in here, stacked perilously close to the lights above. Even the space between each row was just enough for a moving vehicle.

They all thought that it was impossible to not find evidence with so much of it right before their eyes.

Yet, for some reason, only three villains were posted. Two of them appeared to be twins with their white hair and their white wings. The few differences were that the left had bed hair and was decked in a lab coat, but the right had straighter hair and was decked in mom's yellow apron. Both were talking amongst themselves, or really yelling back and forth, and they paid little attention to the boy between them.

The blue curtains matched the blue drapes. An almost innocent shade of blue if it wasn't for his entire appearance. The way he slouched his blue head onto his arm, the way a lollipop was shoved into his left cheek, and especially the way his blue eyes lazily roved over a MAXIM. The magazine was held vertically instead of horizontally, and in Dana's ear, Doyoung had helpfully whispered that was so he could see the main spread, the 'good stuff'.

That didn't excuse his apathetic posture any more than it already did. Just staring at him any moment longer incited Dana to ball her fists, ready to beat the shit outta him, just because he looked like he needed one. The other heroes must had been thinking the same thing, however, they did not move.

The twins still squabbling behind him, he finally looked up. First, scanning the other heroes at the back, before landing upon Dana. In that moment, what she felt was a pushier urge to slam his head against his chair, but he'd let go both his magazine, his lollipop, and lazily rose to a stand.

"Guys," Dana spoke through grinding teeth, "I'm ready to clobber him into the next dimension whenever you are."

"Uurgh."

"Ahhh."

"Da… na…"

Puzzled, Doyoung pointed to them and pointed out the obvious, "Something's the matter with those three."

"I don't see how that—!" Her head wheeled to the front, meeting the blue boy a foot before her. Total rage was an understatement. How dare a senseless villain like him have the audacity to stand so close to her without receiving a proper ass-whooping? "You…"

The rest of her words drifted away. Thankfully, Doyoung spoke up even if it didn't carry the explicit threat she'd preferred. "Is this where you keep your dangerous drug—the Oz?"

Ignoring Doyoung, the villain closed the distance between him and Dana. Every nerve of her was sparking to attack—clock him across the head, slam his nose into her knee, flying kick him right where it would hurt the most—and yet she did none of those things. Rather she stood shakily put as he fingered a stray lock of her hair, slightly damp with her blood.

All he said was "Hmm."

Whatever he got on those three had to be affecting her, she thought. Since she was as doomed as they were, Dana had no clue if they were feeling these symptoms as well; this vast room somehow skyrocketed a hundred degrees, all she could see was red, whether that be the blood in her head or the blood she ached to spill, the very same blood rushing in her ears was loud enough to drown out her terrifying thinking, and it was as though her blood was pumping too fast, about to send her heart into overdrive and eventually explode like everyone had always described her temperament—

Thin fingers trailed from her hair to her neck where the red bowtie had stayed in place, even after everything. If she could not release her fury of a thousand mad dogs, she could at least swallow and look down. Up close, his appearance really could deceive of an innocence he didn't have.

 _Wait. She knew what was wrong. With her, at least._

"It appears," the blue boy murmured, "SPOON has sent me a gift."

 _This had to be what they called…_

His index finger tucked into her bow, he tugged her down so he could slant his lips over hers.

… _Hate at first sight._

—

 **Sunbae** : in this context, a senior in the workplace, exactly like _senpai_ in Japanese

 **Sunbaenim:** formal of _sunbae,_ i guess Dana reserves for seniors with a lot more experience than her.

 **Ssi:** uhhh sorta like (-san) so mister and miss.

Dana, Jelina, and Dune are supposed to fit their canon selves… Claude is a Darkness/Shadow manipulator since his power (if any) wasn't specified in canon. Doyoung is my OC and he's special to somebody :D (not his daughter lol). also Osu is a bit older than Dana in here, but he's still shorter hahaha. and please i'd love to know what you think so far. feedback/comments are very much appreciated!


	2. suffocating

**edit: 9/16/2016**

 **okay what the fuck i am totally taken aback but YUDA = JUDAS in here  
that's why he says it's convenient when those Christian ladies tried to persuade him but ya get it…? **

**.**

 **2\. suffocating**

 **.**

The fifth time this week, she woke up with a start.

She swore he was still there as she ran her hand over her brow. Beads of sweat dispersed across the back, which incited her to draw out of bed. Now that she stood, her shirt clung to her back due to the peculiar perspiration down her spine. In fact, a sort of discomfort settled upon her skin that she passed a face-washing for a full-on shower.

Alone, with the hot water raining upon her, Dana crossed her arms and tried not to think about him. Blue. Blue eyes open when he touched her. Her fingers raised, clenched over her lips. They'd been disorientated, but Jelina shrieked anyway and Claude blurted, "He dead." However, his blue gaze vanished as the back of his blue hair mocked her. Those white twins had waited for him to walk between them until the three, no, she could tell there were four figures disappearing. And then she could barely remember what blue was when the room became enveloped with warm colors, burning.

What pissed her off the most was the fact she didn't even notice that her bowtie was missing.

Almost snapping off the shower faucet, she shut the water off before drying and dressing in a furious flurry. A hot shower was usually enough to get her back to sleep. But as she lay in bed, she found that nearly impossible when events from more than a week ago continued to bother her. It was becoming the norm when her anger levels spiked. There were a few options open to her, such practicing those calming exercises like breathing or some shit, but she preferred a much more interactive method.

Out of bed once again, she found her phone and tapped a contact labeled 'Obnoxious Loser.' The longer the dials rang, the farther Dana held her phone from her ear.

Just before the call was transferred to voicemail, she heard clear as day, loud as hell, "WHAT?" Answering him now would be insane, which Dana wanted to do. "WHY the _FUCK_ are you _calling me_?!"

Yelling at her only pissed her off. In return, Dana was silent until after she got into the kitchen, and it wasn't until after she plucked a Yakult from her fridge did she respond with a sane mind. "You always shout when you answer the phone?"

Rather than a yes or no answer, he answered with a single swear. "I thought you were Eunbidan." Weird. Dana didn't believe for a second that he would raise his voice even a decibel toward her. Taking a drink, she listened to him explain, "I was waiting for her to call me any moment now… I need her to tell me that my entire schedule for tomorrow was canceled so I could get one fucking second of sleep… But no—it's just you."

Since he was being condescending with her, Dana flicked her empty bottle into the trash and replied, "Bummer." There was a scoff in her ear, but she wanted him to not believe her. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"The fuckin' board," he hissed. A long-winded complaint was on his tongue so Dana walked back to her fridge to remove whatever was left of the Yakult and ripped a bottle from the plastic. "My meeting was moved a week early and they added a bunch of nonsense questions, fuckin' asshats. Like how the shit am I supposed to know what brand of toothpaste they have? Isn't that little shit up to them? But it's not just that—does it look like I give a shit about what they use?"

Tearing off another drink, Dana quipped, "Their teeth are part of their appearance, and appearances are important are in the entertainment industry."

"Bitch," he retorted. Because he couldn't freak out, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. If he wasn't in his moods and if was anyone else, she would've found where they lived to show them a "bitch's" fist to the nose. "Why am I wasting my time for you?"

Oh, yes, she didn't call to mock his poor washed out self, although she drew some amusement. Pulling a fourth drink from the pack, she shrugged. "Do you even want to know?"

His reply was immediate. "Do you think being this fuckin' brilliant doesn't place a price for my time?"

Sounded like his ego wasn't damaged what with the extreme exhaustion. "I wanted to know if you're up for the usual?" On the other line was silence, which meant he was silently contemplating or silently fuming. Either way, Dana pointed out, "Maybe it could benefit you more than it benefits me."

"As if."

"Don't tell me you don't enjoy it."

He scoffed, but it crossed with a chuckle. "Well…"

"Because you're needier than I am," she continued, her fingers anxiously tapping her drink, "I'll let you go all out."

"Mmm."

"What else do you want?"

"I'm feeling pretty fuckin' pissed, so I wanna say whatever I want."

"Like hell you will." Negotiations with him were never easy. After topping off the last Yakult, she criticized, "If you're going to say whatever, you can't cry if I actually end up hurting you?"

"What do you take me for?"

Briefly, she glanced at the name of his number. Then, with her teeth clenched and her lips strained together, she conceded, "Fine."

"Fine." Something clanged to the floor on the other line, which brought forward a string of hissed curses. The sound of rustling papers sorta muffled his question, "The usual place wouldn't be enough so find somewhere a little more private?"

"I know a place. Be ready in half an hour?"

"Yeah, send it over. Later, Dana."

"See ya, Judas."

Immediately after, she slumped upon the countertop littered with empty bottles. Besides that, the cold marble cooled the heat in her head. Her agitation level didn't nearly go off as she thought it would. Other than that, her mind was pretty blank for the moment, before she remembered why she brought up the proposition. Just the mere thought of a sky-like shade almost reignited her irascibility; however, it disappeared just as her phone bleeped a generic ringtone.

After checking the caller ID, Dana's eyebrows knitted together as she picked up the call. "Hello, Mom?"

 **.**

As she landed, the heels of her feet dug into the earth, cleaving the ground in half. The dirt was rather solid and smoothed; however, her landing created a rift which almost swallowed her whole. A massive half blocked her view, only to be punched to dust, and she could suddenly see the manic glint in Judas' blue eyes.

A different darker blue, but blue nonetheless.

Just as his punch of death narrowly missed his target, he snorted. "Slow much?"

Instead of replying, she returned his attack with a fist of her own, but he chose to catch her fist, and with his other hand on her shoulder, he flipped her over. Again, she was airborne for a moment before plummeting on her back. This time, the ground divided into multiple chunks from the weight of her stronger-than-steel body. Dusty debris was accumulating much too fast as she barely had time to stand, blink it back, and stare right into his knuckles.

Not blue, therefore she threw her head back and countered as he did, with a hand on his wrist and the other on his side just to throw him to the ground. He was prepared for this. There was a wrinkle in the ground where his foot was stabled, and he twisted on his heel. This secured his position only to leave them fighting for the upper hand.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he derided, leaning close to her narrowed expression. This reminded her of him as well. "It's you who needed this. I don't know why you're more vulnerable than usual, Dana, but if I were you, I'd use that one muscle in my head."

Higher, higher, her agitation level was rising steadily like a roller coaster, but she did not look forward to her power plummeting. But, no, she fought him for one reason only—shut it down as she imagined forming her fury into a ball with mental hands as her physical hands regained their super strength.

"Try harder," he jeered, shoving her slightly to the ground. "Think about rainbows and puppies and shit if you're going to be even half as strong as I am."

Oh, she thought about it. A beautiful rainbow with a brighter emphasis on the color red, perhaps a more fluid form of red as well. The puppies were a tad bigger, her type was more of the snarling brawnier types, the so-called "mad dogs". Of course, this was working the way Judas wanted when he felt her grip slacking, before sweeping his leg against her ankle.

Falling was something Dana was tiring of. She wasn't distracted enough to crash upon her back again when his leveled foot was no longer stabilizing his position. This time, she fell with the intention of dragging him down.

It worked when her elbow dug into his eye; however, he scowled before kicking her off. With a normal person, there would've been a footprint for cause of death. Dana wasn't normal and was much sturdier. Thankfully, her arm caught onto a tree trunk although she felt bad that her fingers were forever engraved into the bark. Striding toward her, Judas rubbed the back of his neck and called, "You must be really desperate or really dumb if you thought that was gonna work."

Telling him to shut up wouldn't work as much as forcing him to. Her teeth gritted together, Dana dug one foot into the ground, forming cracks into the hardened dirt, before shoving off to a running start. Like lightning, actually like her, Judas bolted toward his opponent as well.

When they met halfway, she allowed for his first move. Mid-air, he aimed out his leg toward her head. Grabbing wasn't much of a surprise now, so she went for a duck and stepped back from his arm swinging. Perfect, his standing was slightly awkward which was appropriate for her to deck him across the face. To her relief, her fist met his cheek. Though she landed one on him, he didn't recoil from the attack as much as she'd like.

Probably because, just for a fraction of a second, he turned toward her, eyes blazing baby blue.

Baby blue?

"The fuck're you looking at?" With that, his fist met with her cheek.

The difference in physical power showed when she was sent sprawling across the field. After him, pain didn't feel the same to Dana, as she lay there, spitting out dirt, before coming to a stand. What exactly was running through her head, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't the fact that Judas somehow teleported before her, hands on his hips.

"Dana?" He tipped her head up by flicking her chin. She whacked his hand away. "You alright?" No answer, but Dana realized her face was unusually numb, specifically from the corner of her mouth to her nose. "You know what, let's stop."

"I can fight."

"Did I ask for your opinion?" A pause when he expected her to verbally fight back. "Listen, I don't know why you're so distracted, but I don't think fighting it out will help."

There went her last resort. Seemed like she was going to be driven to insanity when her most precious outlet was going out the window. That much was obvious upon her expression, however, Judas didn't take back what he said. Peering closer, he had to ask, "Can you walk? I can really pack a punch, you know?"

"I'm really going to kill you."

"Not today," he chuckled to himself and strode toward the field's fenced-in border. Though homicide was on her mind, Dana caught up to him without too much ill intent. "Hey…" A hand patting her battered cheek, she met his stare. Everyone claimed they must be secretly related, which was evident when sheepishness was as foreign upon him as it was on her. "You can't… just… talk it out?"

Hilarious, he was so funny, so stupid. "You wanna have a heart-to-heart?"

"The best don't have heart-to-hearts. I can solve my own problems without the mush, thanks." Why did he sound like a nine-year-old during their egocentric stage? Ignoring her stifled laughter, he advised, "You're better off spilling your feelings to the one whose making you all… _ugh_."

Truthful, she said, "If I'm going to the source, I'd rather talk with my fists."

Truthful, he asked, "You haven't tried that already?"

" _Unnie!_ "

A total three-sixty, Dana's voice lightened as she called, "Hyena-ya."

After unlocking the fence gate, she kneeled down to scoop her little and only sister into her arms. The toddler babbled in excited gibberish, which sounded strangely close to Latin; however, Dana brushed her fingers through pink, baby-soft hair. Her eyes flitting past Hyena's happy face, she called out to her babysitters, "Hey, Dune, Claude, thanks for watching her this early."

Without his usual cigarette, the chain-smoker shrugged and plopped his head against Claude who responded, "You can call us anytime, Dana! Hyena's a real cutie." Toward Dune, he laughed, "Makes us think of having one in the future, eh?"

Again, he shrugged as Judas flopped next to him, pulling out a water bottle. "You're not as beaten up as I expected you to be."

"Dana's a total bore today."

Donning his glasses, Dune scrutinized her squirming to not explain herself. She didn't need to say anything. During work, he noticed her the quality of her performance declining because of the distraction deluded from that one night. Closer to Judas, Dune enlightened him with a single succinct statement, "It's a guy."

A fountain of water spewed from Judas' mouth. As if that didn't happen, he burst into laughter at someone else's expense. At once, Dana was juggling a semi-sleepy Hyena and raining a single fist upon him, yelling, "It's not like that!"

"Hahaha!" he hooted, raising one arm in defense.

"Oh, yeah, we were all watching!" recalled Claude, giving Dana a rueful look. "I mean, Dana even told us to beat the shit outta him, but…"

Leaning over Dune, Judas grinned with bared teeth. "But?"

"Hm'issd'er."

"Huh?"

"Claude, don't you dare!"

Since he really was a good guy, he listened to Dana; however, Dune didn't care. Monotone, he clarified, "He kissed her."

This time, Judas keeled over and out of his seat. As he gripped his sides, the field was enveloped with the rare sound of his wild cackling. A mixture of pink and red in the face, Dana passed Hyena to Claude before running over to kick Judas' fetal form. Of course, they felt like feather kisses when her agitation level was through the roof, and he shot up with her shoe digging into his cheek.

"What'd you do, Dana! Send him to a world of pain?"

He was bound to find out eventually. "I couldn't!"

There wasn't a better reaction to fill her with regret when he flailed and howled, "Fucker got away with it!"

Mortified was an understatement as she quit trying to hurt him (and was failing miserably anyway) before she collapsed upon the grass, hiding her exasperated expression. She felt like a child who admitted they couldn't tie their shoelaces just yet, not that there wasn't anything wrong with that, but she would feel a lot better if she could do it. It as in send blue boy to a world of pain via her leg in his lung.

"Unnie!" Because they cared, the grown-ups looked at Hyena. They'd think she was talking to her older sister, but her innocent scarlet stare was on Judas. "Unnie, up!"

The hilarity completely dissipated, he growled, "Not this shit again."

On the other hand, this never failed to make Dana smile. A hand over her mouth, she didn't correct Hyena when Judas did, bending down to her eye level. "Hyena-ya," he murmured, softening his voice as everyone told him to a million, billion times. "I'm. Not. Unnie. Unnie!" He pointed to Dana then to himself, tapping violently. "Oppa! Op-pa! Judas-oppa! Ju-das-op-pa!"

"Oppa!"

Finally, she had called him by the correct honorific, and Judas brightened. Then dampened when Hyena looked away from Claude with his beanie in her fingers, and she smiled gummily at Judas. "Unnie!"

His hands up, Judas made sure he was far enough before he screamed.

"Thanks, Claude." Totally ignoring a crazed man's call of torment, Dana slid next to Claude as her sister crawled into her lap. "Hyena-ya. Judas-unnie really had that coming, didn't he?"

The striped beanie in her mouth, Hyena didn't respond when she settled to sleep in Dana's shirt. An apology was on her lips, but Claude expected it with an easy grin. "It's nothing. But I'd watch out since she has to be dropped off at daycare soon, right? I think your mom mentioned that?" Dana frowned, torn between waking her up so she could hurry to prepare, but Claude suggested, "Dune and I are gonna head to SPOON late today, so we can handle it?"

Her apology lessened to a sigh of relief. "Thanks. Would you mind telling my mom that? I think she gave me partial deafness this morning… Ugh…"

Pitying her, Claude could only pat her shoulder.

"I'm heading off," interrupted Judas, dressed in a windbreaker and his bag over his shoulder. "Eunbidan should be picking me up right now."

"Oh!" gasped Claude. Grinning, he glanced at Dune. He had dozed off some time ago. Instead of waking him, he shrugged, gently pushed his head onto his lap, and spoke to Judas, "Your girlfriend, right?"

"No way in hell," answered Dana as Judas answered, "Not yet."

They shared glares basically saying _wtf-are-you-talking-about?_ that left Claude awkwardly confused. Before a verbal then physical fight could break out, he chopped his hand between them and laughed, "But you like her, right?"

Honestly, Dana was glad that Judas wasn't the type to blush and stammer when confronted; however, he had to say, "I like that she fits my ideal measurements." Then again, his gaze softened in a way she couldn't understand and he added in his fist, "But it's more than that."

With impeccable timing, a car hummed toward them and parked at the end of a dirt driveway. After giving his goodbyes, Judas hurried to the driver's side as a woman stepped out. Watching, Dana thought she was becoming accustomed to neither her long lashes framing a powder blue gaze nor her white waterfall of curls and roses. But what she never could wrap her head around was the fact Eunbidan chose to work in entertainment not as a model, actress, whatever, but as that fool's secretary.

"Hey, Dana."

A conversation trapped the two from leaving, but Dana noticed the fool couldn't meet her eyes properly. A chuckle at that, she answered Claude, "What's up?"

Straightforward, he asked, "Have you ever liked someone?"

A sudden question, but one she could answer. "Uhh… I've had girls and a few guys confess to me back in highschool, but I rejected them since I didn't feel anything…"

"You're too kind, Dana." Claude stared at Judas as well. Quiet, Dana sifted her fingers through Hyena's hair and wondered if his question was somehow connected to Judas' rude reaction and her embarrassment earlier. "Please don't tell them, but I didn't think that Dune or Judas would be interested in others, romantically. I'm really happy that Dune does and even for Judas, but I'd always thought it would be you first."

"Me?"

His smile was curved with anticipation. "Yes, you, Vice-Chief."

Though she usually wouldn't with Claude, Dana was offended. "Cause I'm female?"

"No, I never took that into consideration." After her guard was lowered, Claude explained, "What I was thinking was for someone who has this harsh and violent exterior—don't deny it—you're more of a softie than you think. I think that's because you got a lot to love, Dana."

What? Though Claude was truly thoughtful, Dana wasn't into a motivation line right now. "That doesn't make a lot of sense."

His beanie-less head nodded toward an obviously besotted Judas. "Does love ever?"

Eunbidan's white head turned with her white wings outstretched, and as Dana thought there was blue in between, she muttered, "How pathetic."

 **.**

The Chief's office was a lot like a stereotypical detective's office. Once a client opened the door, there was the open space for the Chief to scrutinize them when they walked over to his desk. There wasn't much on the desk, maybe an open manila folder, a nameplate bearing his title ( _Chief SPOON_ ) and his arms, either crossed or elbows up with his fingers together. Today, Dana saw that he had elbows up with the manila folder displaying information from that night and, of course, _Chief SPOON_ in glossy golden letters.

"Chief."

"Vice Chief." His fingers pulled apart so that he could wave at the armchairs before him. "Take a seat."

Dana did, and as always when in this seat, she made herself comfy with her arms crossed and her legs as well. The Chief didn't comment since he was the one who begged—negotiated with her to join SPOON. Not that Dana knew what to do after high school, but she liked to maintain some sort of control, especially if it was on the night where everything went out of her hands.

Fingers together, the Chief started off, "I believe you know why you're here today."

"I suppose."

"Vice Chief." The document in his hand, he then tossed it so it slid face-forward Dana. "Why haven't you submitted your mission report for Assignment #213?"

At once, Dana shot out of her seat and her fist pounded the desk. "Obviously, the mission isn't complete!" There was a small section where the writer could circle if the assignment had succeeded or failed, which Dana pointed out with another punch. "I'm not finished!"

"Strange," he said when it didn't sound strange at all. "Your teammates had already finished their reports, yet you have not."

"We got nothing back! Nothing," she enunciated clearly for him, but to no avail. "We were all in that room and we saw all those boxes filled with drugs, and maybe we failed to stop them from burning most of it, but we salvaged some and you're telling me—," she only paused to inhale incredulously, "you're telling me the labs found nothing? Literally nothing?"

With a sigh, the Chief leaned back in his chair. "That is correct, Vice Chief. Inside those very few boxes your team salvaged were green syringes. All seventy-two syringes were filled what appeared to be air. The labs even considered the syringes themselves, but they're a common disposable syringe, aside from that color, which is not an aftereffect of a drug." The amount of times she heard this was about to drive her up the wall, if _he_ wouldn't first. "The lab is considering if it is a drug affected by heat; however, they have currently found no matches."

That last part was new. "Are they still working on that?"

"They are. But not for long, Vice Chief." He had to shoot her down even when hope was such a look on her. "Assignment #213 was the only lead we have, but to bring such little in return will not guarantee a continuation with this case."

Like with everything, Dana wasn't going down without a fight. "Let me go back! You haven't considered that we missed something? We're never too careful!"

"Vice Chief, it's been over a week now."

"They're probably expecting that we don't come back because they're right! The boxes and the syringes could've been a huge front for a crime much deadlier, and, Chief, people's lives can be hanging by a thread because I'm not allowed to return to the scene of the crime? Do you want innocent lives to be sacrificed 'cause—"

Another long-winded sigh. "Vice Chief." After he addressed Dana, he told her, "I know why you're so hell-bent. I have read your teammates' reports, and I am not blind to the wool over your eyes. It appears while three out of four of your team have recovered from the Oz, you're the outlier that has not." Anger was Dana's most common emotion, yet the one she hated the most. How it stripped her down when she reacted with a kick to her chair, hardly denting it. "Vice Chief, I implore you sign your name on the mission report, and you can move onto your next assignment."

 _Yes,_ he whispered and his blue head leaned against the Chief, his blue eyes gleaming disdain. _Please sign it._

" _I refuse!_ "

"You will be the first to know when the case reopens."

Haughty, his smile was too infuriating, too real, and those thin fingers pressed against the curve of his mouth. _When will that be?_

" _I'll find you and I'll—!_ "

"Vice Chief!"

" _I'll—!_ "

Since he was Chief SPOON, in just a moment, she had been shoved to the doorway with the mission report in her hand. Arms crossed, he ordered, "I suggest you check with Doyoung-ssi before you take the rest of the day off? In fact, you've been working for a little over a year, and I have yet to see you on break. Return in a week or so, Vice Chief?" At the door, she had flung the paper at him, but the Chief caught it in mid-air. "With this signed?"

Against the doorframe, he was behind the Chief and he did not say anything when his silent laughter spoke volumes. The urge to fight a delusion was rather tough to ignore; however, Dana knew there was some truth to whatever the Chief said. Snatching the paper from him, she stalked off the hallway and immediately crumbled the paper.

"Vice Chief!"

"I wouldn't, she's really—"

"Dana!"

Around the second time, she turned around to meet Jelina and a deer-human. She was pissed, but not pissed enough to properly greet them, "Hi, Jelina-sunbae. Sangjae-sunbae."

The jellyfish-human linked arms with the Vice Chief. "You were coming from the Chief's office, right? Did something happen? You don't look so… _you_." At this, Sangjae was tugging on Jelina's lacy sleeve, but she disregarded the mind-reader. "Did it have to do with, uhh, last time?"

While Sangjae smacked himself in the face, Dana replied, "Kinda… Listen, Jelina-sunbae, what did you write in your report?"

"Me? Umm." They watched as Jelina's gaze lifted to the ceiling for several moments. "I definitely remember writing down how much ass you kicked. I'd love to team up with you again!" Compliments were nice and all, but not what Dana needed right now. "But after we were in that big room, I wrote down my symptoms… my inability to move, 'cause of like the complete blank in my head, but it was a weird sort of headache too when I couldn't think at all."

Good thing she asked since Jelina's answer struck a chord. "You… You couldn't think? At all?"

Lips pursed, she nodded. "Pretty much. Why?"

The Oz. They had been looking for the Oz, but for the life of her, Dana couldn't remember what were the symptoms of the Oz. But that didn't matter when she knew for sure that Jelina and she had different reactions. Which sounded reasonable, but Dune and Claude must had written along the same lines as Jelina did.

But all Dana could think about was how terrifying her thinking was when she was supposedly exposed to the Oz.

Lowered, Sangjae whispered to his teammate, "Do you remember the Oz's listed symptoms?"

Jelina shrugged which matched the _What was that again?_ running through her head. Shrugging in return, Sangjae wished he could help the Vice Chief, whose thoughts were all over the place. Still, he tried, "Vice Chief, you got permission to go home early, didn't you?"

He can hear that her mind was elsewhere as she tapped her foot impatiently, and she thought aloud, "Claude and Dune said they have some sort of appointment after they dropped off Hyena—"

"Vice Chief!"

"—call them now, would they have time to—"

"Go home!"

 **.**

Somehow Dana found herself on the subway home. Whatever. She dialed both Dune and Claude's number a few, maybe not a few, times but they'd yet to pick up. So a few, maybe several messages were sent both their ways. That was sometime after she left the building, but her phone had yet to receive a response.

Why didn't people constantly check their phone? Why did people have a phone if they weren't going to pick up? Was it just an expensive piece of junk to accessorize their hands?

Both hands raking back her long hair, Dana turned in her seat. The train wasn't particularly busy, since she was being sent home early, but she didn't want to see people anyway. Yet there he was in the window, sitting across from her. After acting like a punchable target moments before, he had the audacity to do nothing at all and lower his stupid blue gaze.

Since the Chief wasn't there, she hissed, "I'll end you."

Nothing, not even a glance in her direction. Not that her reactions had any effect on him, but there was something worse with no sort of acknowledgement than a little acknowledgement.

"You hear me?" Again, she was hissing, and her very few fellow riders scooched away from her. "I'll find you, and then I'll end you. No, after they interrogate the shit outta you, then I have to get permission from the Chief, and after he gives the OK, I'll—"

The intercom voice was announcing the incoming station, and because she was too kind, Dana shut up. No one got off, but more people entered with heads down and quick steps. One rider was too quick as she turned and bumped into his knee. She apologized. He spoke at last, though Dana could only make out from his lips, "It's okay."

What.

The world stopped, but maybe just her own. Intercom lady spoke up again, which meant the train was moving. She did not when her scarlet stare couldn't tear away from him in the window. At least it must be him behind the suited men. Just when the next stop was announced, an elderly man asked a question Dana couldn't hear, and she couldn't believe the old man was listening to his reply.

After the train rested at a station, slowly did Dana turn with the fuss of people moving on and off. A middle-aged woman entered with a friend. A group of high schoolers stepped on as well. The businessmen released the metal bars and walked off. When they exited, they were no longer blocking her sight of him who had nodded off into a bag of groceries.

Perhaps the Oz was based on sight because even though Dana would bet all of her savings that blue boy was before her, she could not think of a single thing to do to him.

Blue boy raised a pale hand, rubbed his blue eyes, before lifting his sleepy stare onto her.

—

 **a/n:** introducing the squad: Angry Good-Looking, Stressed-Out Middle Man w/ Common Sense and his Amazing BF, Angry Less Good-Looking POS (piece of shit).

 **Ya:** Usually, used towards children and close friends, but you wouldn't catch the squad using this around each other (but " _Ya!_ " as a single phrase to catch attention/annoy they've been using). in the webtoon, Dana uses this towards Osu :D

 **Unnie:** Usually, only girls use this to address elder sisters or older girls. The thing about this with Hyena & Judas is that Hyena uses this to address Dana, her blood-related sister, and Judas who looks like Dana. It's not that Hyena thinks Judas is a girl, but that she thinks Judas _is_ her older sister, Dana.

 **Oppa:** Usually, only girls use this to address elder brothers or older guys. Hyena uses this to call Dune and Claude, and she's supposed to toward Judas.

A **Yakult** look that up yooo

 **much thanks to Eternal Nocturne and FerenSagistar yall the best**


	3. this dream isn't ending

**a/n:** meeting #2! they're in love already can you tell?

 **Hyung:** Usually, what boys call their older brothers or older guys. I've seen girls do this, but it's unusual…

 **Hakseang:** 'Student', I think can range from middle schoolers to college kids?

 **Bacchus-F:** An energy drink that's popular in South Korea, but it tastes more like a sour sports drink? I'm assuming Dana was drinking this back in Episode 14, but that's just me.

 **my love to Eternal Nocturne: it's okay i wanna continue this regardless of the reviews cause osu** **dana** ❤❤❤

* * *

 **.**

 **3\. this dream isn't ending**

 **.**

By time Dana figured out Plan A, he was already on his feet and attempting to be inconspicuous, huddled near the doors. Against all odds, she watched him escape last time, but she'd rather die than see it happen a second time. Luckily, just before the double doors slid open, she slammed her foot between his shoulder blades, satisfying a bit of her bloodthirst. This was the first she'd harmed him, but it didn't feel as great when his groceries spilled onto the floor and the bystander riders rushed to his aid, in addition to pretty much calling her an asshole.

It was the worst of timing when the doors opened to reveal a disoriented young man surrounded by his ruined stuff and people helping him up.

"Stop, stop," she ordered, shoving the gossipers and the good Samaritans aside, before yanking blue boy up. When he winced, those pity points skyrocketed. "He's a no-good criminal, so I'd stop before you're arrested as accomplices."

One smartass had to assure, "Are you even a cop?"

In the manner of one, Dana flipped open an official ID. "I'm a hero from SPOON and I've been looking for this punk." After pocketing her ID, she ignored the raised whispering and pulled blue boy to face her. Although not as arrogant as she imagined him to be, he had the audacity to glower as though she was the one fucking up. Which she sorta was. "You're going to SPOON."

Since her iron grip was impossible to escape from, blue boy could only look to the side. "I don't think so."

"Hyung." The group of high school boys forwarded him with his bag re-stuffed with his stuff. "You, uhh, dropped these."

Not like a villain at all, blue boy accepted the bag with a slight bow. "Thank you, hakseangs."

After they left with frightened glances toward Dana, he whispered to her, "Are heroes allowed to openly exercise their right to arrest as you do? Especially when they failed to find a single sign of evidence against me?"

"Shut up." One hand busy, Dana called with the other and tapped the floor with each dial tone. When the call connected, she immediately said, "Chief, put me back on the case 'cause I—"

"Vice Chief."

"—found someone you should meet—

"Vice Chief."

"—like right now so I'm heading back to SPOON this instant. No, scratch that, I need to get off because this train's taking me home so give me a minute."

" _Vice Chief_."

Right, the hero-hierarchy mandated her to listen to him. "What?"

"If you step one foot back onto SPOON property," he coolly informed, "you will be expelled for a week. No, that's not enough, make that three, four, weeks."

"What _._ "

"Whatever reason you have for returning can wait. I suppose an exception would be after you visit a medical facility or a healer. At the very least, wait till tomorrow morning before you even think of coming back to SPOON. Can you wait eighteen hours, Vice Chief?"

Unable to control herself, she yelled, "I'm coming now!"

When blue boy tittered beside her, Dana lowered her voice and pleaded through gritted teeth, "Chief, I'm not crazy, just let me come back—"

"Strange, Vice Chief, you sound fairly crazed to me. I do wish you to take the day off and keep your mind off work, won't you?"

With that, a click signaled the end of that. Not that the suspect knew, but Dana spent a few minutes controlling the rolls of rage since his conviction lay in her hand. It would be so much easier just to end him here and there, but there was a process. Step one was to call Dune and Claude even though they'd yet to respond.

"May I take a seat?" he piped up.

With the phone balanced against her shoulder and ear, Dana released him but stared him down in case he had any thoughts of bolting. She stripped off her jacket, still watching his every move, then her tie. Eyes gleaming, blue boy leaned back and murmured, "Oh."

With her tie, Dana seized his forearm and looped the thin fabric around his wrist, before tying the other end to hers. Eyes squinting, blue boy slumped and muttered, " _Oh_."

"I don't have handcuffs," she explained as her fourth call to Dune dropped. That was fine, she had other options. The phone in her free hand, she was drumming her foot against the floor. "C'mon, Sunbaenim, pick up, pick up."

"Yes?"

"Doyoung-sunbaenim!"

"Ah? Dana-ya?"

Time was a'wasting so she cut to the chase. "Sunbaenim, are you busy?"

A pause before he said, "Right now? I…" Again, several seconds were wasted toward his sake. "I suppose I am preoccupied at the moment? However, that shouldn't be for long."

"When will you be free, Sunbaenim?"

"What's with the urgency, Dana-ya?" he laughed. "It's only until after my daughter—"

After dropping the call herself, the Vice Chief glared at the phone in her hands. Doyoung was the only healer she somewhat knew since she didn't get injured much. There was a beat where she considered calling him back to ask for other available healers, however, she scratched that for calling someone else.

"Yep!"

"Jelina-sunbae!"

The jellyfish human wasn't surprised that Dana had contacted her. "Hey, Dana! Are you home? Feeling better already?"

"Not yet!" Impatient was an understatement when she launched right into it. "Listen, are you at SPOON right now? Can you come outside to meet me?"

"Right now? Yeah, I'm at SPOON. I'm off to an assignment soon, but I have time—oohhh."

He couldn't have. "Sunbae?"

"I forgot… Dana, I'm really sorry but I can't…"

He did. "Sunbae, please, you don't understand—"

"Dana…"

"—I have him right—"

"Dana, Chief's walking toward me, I have to, I'm super sorry—"

That was it. As if speeding up her thought process, she thumped her phone against her forehead. What other options? Go to SPOON anyway and risk losing blue boy when she'd most definitely be refused entrance? Go to a medical facility where she'd definitely lose blue boy while being unwillingly examined?

Or worst—go home? _Where she lived?_

"What's the plan, hero?"

Scarlet was both an alarming and arresting color to stare into. "Like I'd tell you," she growled but blue boy was unmoved. Even though she was intimidating, she noticed he didn't try to at least attack her and escape. "You're not very strong, are you?"

He shrugged, grasping his bag closer to him. "I don't feel particularly ferocious today."

Dana had a sneaking suspicion that his frail figure couldn't hold physical strength. A onceover was only making his smile wider however. Since he was in an answering mood, she questioned, "Where is the Oz?"

"Right here," he hummed.

Taking Dana by surprise, she knew that meant he somehow was somehow storing them on himself—in the bag, perhaps, but that was too obvious, too easy—, so she went with a much more reasonable response, "Did you use the Oz?"

His reaction was amusement. "What do you think the Oz is?"

"A dangerous drug that can be abused through a number of ways."

"You're not wrong." His hand tied to hers covered his chuckle. "I am using the Oz on myself. Would you like to see its supposed ' _dangerous'_ effect?"

The Oz may be dangerous, but to use it upon himself must be intended for its additive effects? To use it dangerously, would he model on himself? That would be absurd. Which meant he was talking about people, innocent bystanders, around them. Even people that helped him or had been on his side, he could drug them up on her command?

 _Villains really were the worst,_ Dana thought as what came out of her mouth was, "I'd like to see you locked up."

With an easy smile, he replied, "What's your name, Vice Chief?"

So he remembered that night. Rather than continue the Q&A, she crossed her arms even if that meant his hand was touching her elbow. No fucks were given as the intercom lady broke the silence, announcing Dana's station as the upcoming stop.

This really was it. Because she had been pissed off so often today, exhaustion was telling her the worst case scenario wasn't really the worst. Not only that, rest was a necessity she couldn't indulge in lately but the very reason was sitting next to her. Although all she really had to do was chain him to the pole outside her apartment and no one would ask questions, right?

"That is a terrible idea." Blue boy shook his head. "Are we off to your place then?"

A change in plans would be good right about now, but none came to mind. Teeth gritted, she admitted, "I would be the stupidest hero in history if I were to show you where I lived."

"I believe the stupid ones are the ones who get themselves killed."

Was he complimenting her? Or mocking her since he let her live that one night? The more she thought about it, the more pissed she could become, so she closed her eyes and confessed into her free hand, "I don't know."

"Let me go."

Again, as she shook her head, long tendrils of hair brushed onto his arm. "I'm not trying to be the stupidest hero in history."

"Take me to where you live."

She sighed. "Maybe I should leave you to the police, but they can't hold you if I don't have any evidence."

"Your place then."

"And Chief told me to never threaten the police… What a load of—"

In due time, the train stopped. Out of it, Dana panicked for a second, just before blue boy upped and dragged her onto the station platform. Before she could register what he did, the double doors closed and the cars were moving slowly, quickly, then gone as if never there.

Their hands still tied, he tugged her back into reality. "What is your address?"

"I…" Honestly, she wanted to sleep. But she also wanted him to pay for his crimes. Mostly against her, yes, so that'd mean she needed him now. Life really sucked. "Close your eyes."

Adamant, he refused so she forced her jacket upon him and tied the sleeves around his head. Anyone who passed by and thought they weren't an odd couple; they didn't exist because that was a complete lie. Not when Dana had to yank him every now and then, so that he didn't run into people, poles, and cars. Though she was tempted to watch him walk right into the road.

"Here." After shoving open the door to her home, Dana thought how her life was gonna end when a villain entered. Whatever, it should be worth it once he was handed to SPOON. "I'll take the jacket off, but I don't wanna hear anything from you."

Muffled, he asked, "And the tie?"

She scowled. "Don't touch anything either."

The tie and jacket removed, blue boy stood by the front door and immediately took in his surroundings. There wasn't really anything that stood out to him—just looked like a standard one-bedroom apartment—though he made a beeline for her living room sofa.

"Hey!" she shouted from her bedroom. After keeping her eyes on him for over half an hour now, Dana also made a beeline, but toward her closet. "No touching! That's touching!" A few minutes scrambling in her room, she hurried out to find him still lying there. "Listen, villian, when I tell you to not do something—"

No, she couldn't finish that sentence. Blue boy had curled cushion-side, but after she jerked him around, she just realized. Was he always this pale? Wait, actually, the paleness was probably a normality. But the pink overwhelming his cheeks and the sheen of sweat around his neck and forehead? She thought that was normal if he was sick.

"Hey…" Not to karate chop him into the next life, her hand pressed against his damp temple. "I didn't mean to make you…"

"It's not you." Instantly, he turned back around and swept his long sleeve over his flushing face. "You can take me to your hero hideout tomorrow but all I ask is some time alone."

Curious, she crouched before him. "How come you were fine five minutes ago?"

He sounded like he contemplated answering, before he gave in. "The Oz."

While her expression said _what the fuck_ , what she actually said was, "But that makes no sense. I thought the Oz was a drug that kills the user or makes them unable to think or whatever it was… It has pain-relieving properties?"

"You don't even know," he muttered. "Can I please be left alone?"

"Answer me." Since he didn't, she shook his shoulder. "Are you sick?"

Silence. Just barely louder than that, he answered, "This happens often."

There was a number of ways she could've reacted, but leaving was not one of them. Not in the way that she got to her feet and left him alone to disappear into her room. But the fact that she returned minutes later with the only difference being a light jacket. Outerwear on, she fit her keys into her pocket and cocked her head. "I don't trust you. In fact, if I had a list of people I trust the least, you're front and center." His head hazy, blue boy emitted a low laugh. "But I don't know how serious this is—"

"I'll survive," he reassured.

Not believing his half-hearted answer, she scoffed. "Survive? Are you really dying?"

Dodging that, he mumbled, "Where are you going?"

In return for a question unanswered, Dana turned on her heel and walked toward the front door. After she fitted on her sneakers, she popped back into the room to warn, "Don't try anything."

With that, she locked her door and hurried out of her apartment complex. All she could think was how downright bizarre she was acting in this situation. For all that she knew, he could be faking to escape, but there was something genuine the way his skin was hot to the touch, and the way his closed-off stance was strangely vulnerable. Or maybe it attributed mostly because Dana could spot a liar. Probably the latter.

Upon arriving her destination, Dana entered the 24-hour convenience store. There were two college kids eating instant noodles at the window and a clerk who didn't look up from her phone. That was fine; Dana liked to left alone as she wandered through the aisles with a slight frown. Eventually, she found the fever-reducing medications, a pack of Bacchus-F, and apples, which she paid for at the register. There, the clerk ignored her mumbling which sounded a lot like "pay me back" and "rot in prison forever."

Home took exactly eight minutes by running, and she burst into her home, half-expecting him to be nowhere to be seen. What she really saw was the opposite as he still lay on the sofa, unmoved from the last time she'd seen him. The bag in one hand, Dana peered down upon a reflective object a few feet away. When she picked it up, she realized it was a phone, but it wasn't hers. At once, her fist crushed the mobile, and she near shouted, "I thought I warned you not to—"

"You shouldn't be worried," he interrupted. Her lips pressed together, but she wanted to scream. "They didn't answer."

"What makes you think I'll believe that?" For a moment, she could've tested if he was lying, but in her hand, the phone remained in shambles. "I don't believe you, I don't believe this, I can't even believe I left you alone in what right mind—"

"Trust me."

If she wanted to scream before, she was giving into that now, "Did you or did you not hear me call you front and center for least trustworthy people?!"

Nonetheless, his voice did not elevate to meet hers, rather he became softer. "Trust me."

Insane. He had to be insane. She was being driven insane, and that could only happen if he was insane himself. That was how the madness cycle worked, or as Dana thought it would. Did it really matter? Now that his phone was demolished, there was no reason for them to call back. Good riddance. And as they say, a phone for medicine, fruit, and drinks. Although blue boy had to point out laughingly, "You bought Bacchus?"

Legs crossed, Dana took a seat on the floor. "What's wrong with that?"

Still smiling, he breathed heavily for a moment, then shook his head. "Everything." Further blackening her pissed-off expression, he enlightened her, "They used to be praised as the new medicinal 'it' drink back then, but it's more proven to be the opposite. Its basic make-up are simply taurine and corn syrup, which is a pretty terrible combination."

"You're ungrateful." Despite his enlightenment, Dana unscrewed a bottle, shut her eyes, and downed it all herself. Maybe because of that, he reached out a hand, but she raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You've convinced me," he said.

"So? You're still ungrateful." Still, she handed him one, already unscrewed, before pulling out the medicine. "Don't expect any more than this." As he sat up to drank, he noticed Dana reading the instructions, and suddenly burst out, "Noo!"

The pills were just leaving their package. Near scowling, the hero grumbled, "What'd you just say?"

At first, his expression would be along the lines of peculiar panic, but then his illness wore him down. Dana didn't understand at all when he whispered, "I have no need."

He best be kidding. Without even needing to touch him, Dana could tell that his temperature had ascended while she was out, plus that his clothes were clinging to his body like glue and that his breaths were exhaled as tiny puffs of pain. There was definitely something off, but she had to tread carefully. "Why don't you need them? You look like you need them."

Again, the panic was laced in his reply. "The Oz is enough."

He did have a point. Two drugs at once would probably cause heart failure or something alike? So far, Dana had the impression that he snuck in more of the Oz, but even after a quick onceover, he looked worse. More likely because the Oz was a shit drug for pain relief.

Just to be sure, Dana laid the medicine by his arm. Blue boy visibly flinched. Peering, she waited for him to decline, but after a moment, she said, "I'll just leave these out for you."

The last item were the apples, which were neither washed nor unpeeled. From beside her, she could hardly hear him, "Why apples?"

Like she knew. Taking care of the sick wasn't her forte and there wasn't any incentive when her first at-home patient was a villain. Onto her feet, she might as well head to the kitchen for the apples. Just as she took her first step, her foot hit his forgotten bag of groceries, triggering them to spill a second time. Dana recognized the dish as she picked up each of the ingredients: a small bag of rice, eggs, chicken broth, scallions, and with the onions in one hand, she turned to him. "You're really sick?"

Nothing. Except that his breathing emitted more unevenly and he wasn't even strong enough to keep his eyes open. There should've been a hero handbook for this, but for now, Dana had to fill that section herself as she whacked his shoulder at fourth-power.

"Hey." Easily, she forced him to sit up. The look in his eyes, when they narrowly opened anyway, was somewhat cloudy with drowsiness and discomfort. "If you're going to die, then at least do it after you're found guilty," she complained, pinning up her hair and rolling up her sleeves. Humanitarian work really didn't work for her when his stupid outfit tried her patience. After struggling with it for far too long, she finally unzipped his robe-like jacket. Still, blue boy was clothed for the chilly weather so she had to fetch a small tub. After making sure he wasn't all gross and sweaty, she propped a damp towel on his head, and muttered, "What kinda dumbass villain lets himself be sick like this…?"

Not that she expected him to, but it appeared blue boy was too asleep to answer. Great. It wasn't like he could escape while in dreamland, although Dana blocked her front door just in case. In all honesty, she wasn't sure he was going to last the night so she took his and her bag to the kitchen.

Rice porridge. Okay. Dana knew what that was, only because she saw Hyena eat it. But her cooking skills were mediocre at best. Washing her hands anyway, she called her mother.

After an awkward half hour, Dana successfully lied to her mother that she was the one sick, and, no, she didn't need her mother to come over because of many reasonable reasons that didn't come to mind, and would she please tell her how to make it now? After that mess of a phone call, her end product was a bowl of rice porridge, although she didn't taste it. That didn't matter. Like that being said, her cooking was better than the worst, but not better than the best. It was alright. If he could survive this horrible illness, then he could survive this.

To her relief, blue boy was awake. Not entirely a good thing. The perspiration had soaked through his turtleneck and his breathing sounded more on the raspy side rather than heavy. Since she topped off all the Bacchus during her stressful cooking, Dana rushed back for bottles of cold water and her smallest knife. Taking a seat back on the floor, she whacked his shoulder, but at her weakest strength.

"Yo. You dead? Don't cause the cops have motive to think I—"

"No." Barely audible, blue boy rasped, "I'm 'live."

Hearing that, Dana's face contorted with incredulity. So these fevers, which he stated to happen often, were intense enough that a careless option was death? Or he could be literally answering her question, but the abnormality of it all rubbed Dana the wrong way.

Well, if he said he was alive, she shouldn't worry about it. Shrugging it off, she unscrewed a water bottle, before handing it to him. "Here. You're sweating a lot. Actually, just take your shirt off." Of course, he was too weak to do it himself. While she begrudgingly did that for him, she had thought his physical body held no strength, but _she thought_. Averting her skeptic stare, Dana also helped him sit up again, but his body was involuntary trembling. If he knew about it, he pretended not to notice his hand quivering to cap the water. As he returned it to Dana, he stammered, "Y-you did-didn't."

What? Oh, he was talking about the rice porridge. She didn't have to. Why did she?

"It'll make you feel better faster, right?" Her tone insinuated she was questioning herself as well. Though his breathing was heavy, his gaze was heavier. "The faster you get better, the faster I can take you to SPOON."

"Hmm."

Just as he dipped his spoon, Dana decided she didn't want to watch this. She didn't really cook for anyone, except Hyena at times and maybe Dune and Judas as a joke. Speaking of, she hid in her room and dug around her closet for their clothes. Since she moved by herself, there were times when both Dune and Judas stayed over. Dune wasn't the type to forgot his clothing, but the latter was a bozo who did.

It might say something when she forgot to give back his clothes, but it was a good thing she did. Eventually, she unearthed a dress shirt decorated with sharks, and, grimacing at the print, she threw it into the washing machine. She also brought a light blanket for blue boy who had finished everything.

A sort of satisfaction lightened her shoulders as she traded the tray for the blanket. During the exchange, he said nothing to her. It appeared words were for too much for him, but eating or drinking was not. While he drank the rest of his water, Dana gave him a onceover and noticed that he was good for a nice time of unconsciousness, however, she fetched him Judas' shirt. Their reactions were alike when his eyebrow lifted in distaste. Still, she threw it at him and ordered, "Wear it and bear it."

She shouldn't have thrown it at him since he needed help again. But her help was working for the most part when his trembling had disappeared, but the fever and sweating had not. It didn't matter since those last the longest. At least she thought they did. It was about time for her to get away. After she ate something quick, washed the dishes, and speed-walked around her neighborhood inwardly screaming, an hour had passed before she returned to the sofa.

Maybe because the afternoon light still poured into the living room, but he was awake. It was a little weird to just exist in pain for an hour, which Dana brought up, "You been lying there for an hour?"

His eyes were closed. "Mhm."

The tenth time today, she sat down again and peered into his face-neck-area. Even now, he was releasing a lot of body heat and she re-wet his towel before resting it upon his flushing forehead. "You need some water?"

"Nhm."

"Anything?"

"Nhmm."

"Uh… Okay."

The silence that followed was fine since Dana could occupy herself by cutting apples, and perhaps glancing a closer look at him. Sleeping, or near to that state, he was contrasted with the blue boys she'd been imagining. They were all irritating, instigating, insufferable with smirks that might as well been targets for her fists. But now? Or moments ago, the curve of his mouth wasn't too punchable. As of now, his sleeping countenance was like a completely different person. Or maybe like a kid with the way his fist barely closed beneath his cheek and the way natural blush pinked below his lashes. That could be the fever, but Dana crossed her arms, fully flummoxed.

All of a sudden, her title on his lips broke the silence. "Vice Chief."

So he was awake. The knife still stripping red skin in her fingers, Dana met his half-lidded gaze. "What?"

As she handed him one, he stated clearer than before, "You wanted to kill me several days ago."

Back unturned, she simply said, "I did, but I can't do that now."

"Why not?"

Should she tell him about his case dropping? What kinda question was that? She was already doing too much for him. "There's a process since I caught you in a civilian setting and not just that—I don't think it's a good idea to kill you just yet."

Rasped, he laughed. "But you want to."

"Well, I'm not letting a sickness do that for me." The knife between her teeth, she offered several apples slices in both hands, but he declined them all. Since he was so terribly interested in her, she pointed out, "I'm wasting way too much effort so you better live through this."

Similar to his smile, his voice lightened. "I'll try." Not only had the tension in the air relaxed, he thought their level of familiarity had as well when blue boy requested quietly for the second time, "I want to know your name."

Dana bristled. "You wanted, well no, needed a lot of shit today and I did them for you, but my name isn't one of them."

"I'll tell you mine."

"I don't want that."

"What do you want?"

"I told you, I'd like to see you locked up."

Since he could hardly keep them open anyway, he closed his eyes with a laugh. "Anything else."

"Fine… Whatever. Why don't you get me…?" A moment passed as she thought about it. "I want more Bacchus."

"I can do that. Now your name," he prompted.

At this point, finding her out and throwing her into the villain's torture-zone was probably the right price for taking care of the enemy. Against the sofa, she scoffed and pronounced for him, "It's Dah-na."

"Dana-ssi."

When she glanced back, she could tell he was close to entering a long slumber. "Not yet, villain. I need to be alerted when you're up." The tie was back as she wrapped it exactly the same, binding him and her together. The disappointment darkened his expression, but not like he could do anything about it. "Don't think that you're getting away after everything."

"Everything for me, yes, I'm well aware. It's odd of you." Not aloud, but she had agreed with him. If she thought that was disgusting, she was more so when he twined their fingers together. "Sleep well, Dana-ssi."

"Don't tell me what to do."

 **.**

It had to be a dream.

She was looking through her eyes but she didn't feel like it was hers. This vision was heavily hazy with interrupted sleep and she was looking at him. He was up and about with that stupid shark shirt. He was even smiling, like the first time she saw him, as his fingers adjusted something soft around her shoulders, not like the first time at all. Nonetheless, this felt all too familiar when words wrapped around his lips, but she had to strain her hearing;

"We'll meet again, Dana-ssi."

With that, his fingers followed the curve of her cheek and she drifted away.

 **.**

She'd passed the fuck out, Dana realized much too late.

It was almost the afternoon when she awoke half-upon the couch. The time was the first notice. Second was two new details at once; he was nowhere to be seen, and his blanket had been over her for some time now. After freaking out about new thing one and two, she frantically looked around her surroundings to find new thing three: most of the living room was covered with towers and towers of Bacchus-F.

Moments passed before she fisted her hands into her hair, teeth grinding together, and she figured out the last and final new thing:

 _Where the fuck is my tie?_

—


	4. you're only satisfied when you see blood

**a/n:** oH MY GOSH i didn't realize i was writing this wrong until it was too late but it's an AU so… so July and Snow are OCs. the former is a steel-user who can cover his body with steel or create steel stuff, but he cannot use his creations if they're not directly attached to him. the latter is a mom to a canon character, a slime-hybrid, so I thought it'd be cool to use "they" as their pronouns, but they like to be called "she/her" to people they're close to :) everyone else is canon as far as i know…

 **agassi** : a honorific for like young lady, tbh, i've heard it mostly on creepy terms but that's probably my fault lol

 **samgak kimbap** : basically a triangular riceball look it up i want to eat one so bad

 **Eternal Nocturne, thank for betaing & reading again and again haha ha**

* * *

 **.**

 **4\. you're only satisfied when you see blood**

 **.**

"Here!"

Two heroes were minding their own business when they were suddenly shoved back by the Vice Chief of SPOON. This would be a problem if the reason for wasn't to forcefully gift each of them a box of Bacchus. For a moment, they didn't know what to say. But then they didn't have to say anything at all as she fled from the scene, noticeably with a child's wagon squeaking behind her.

Just as she turned a corner with heels blazing, she ran into the last person she wanted to see, who had to point at her and state the obvious, "Dana!"

No, no, no, she couldn't deal with Dune right now, not after when he finally picked up his damn phone and was reasonably concerned as to why she left him thirty-seven missed calls. But then he had to call her back when murder was on her mind, and she just had to say exactly that so he said, "Murder who?" Which Dana was never, ever considering admitting to him that that damned drug-obsessed lowlife duped her with his inexplicable escape, but she was pissed to the point that she thoughtlessly ranted with a forgotten audience.

Consequently, for the past two weeks or so, she was doing a B+ job avoiding him until he stepped up his attempts to confront her.

As if handling a terrible two's tantrum, Dune gripped her arm, breaking her state of mind—more murder—, and hauled her over to a quieter hallway. Once he released her, Dune crossed his arms before saying, "I've been relocated."

Not how she expected their best-friends-together conversation would start off. Really, she expected a lack of talking-to for some time, or until blue boy was rightfully rotting behind bars. Her jaw tight, she crossed her arms as well. "What?"

"Hear me out, Dana." Pausing, he raked back his wavy bangs. "Claude and I, we dropped Hyena off that day and we had an appointment right after… I didn't know we were being reassigned. Apparently, it's a step-up from being an average SPOON hero… They've been watching me and Claude for a while, and just made the decision to ask us to join."

"Join what?" asked Dana, edging away.

"POT. It's a more secretive group of heroes, but we're associated with SPOON. There's a lot to it that I can't explain to you so… after Claude and I heard them out, we had to take some time to think about their offer. That's why we couldn't take your calls."

"Okay."

"We decided to join, by the way. That's why I haven't been here at SPOON as often."

"Huh." Cocking her head, Dana rolled her stare to the side. It wasn't like she expected him to consult with her since he was a grown man and all. But their pre-SPOON crime-fighting history didn't feel as much when he made that decision. Stoic, she muttered, "That's cool, I guess."

A step closer, Dune blurted, "Look, Dana, I'm sorry."

"Wait." Had he read her mind already? Wonder upturned her lips. "What?"

"You needed my help during a time I couldn't be there for you." His fingers tapped against the inside of his elbow, a tick that Dana noticed. "I know that you've been undergoing, let's say, _stress_ ever since the exposure to the Oz, and so you wanted to arrest him badly but… I could have certainly helped you do that."

Maybe she was disappointed that his response wasn't what was on her mind, but since he was carrying out his daily deed of being a 'friend,' Dana crossed hers off as well. She reached into the wagon and tossed him a Bacchus, which he caught smoothly. A drink against her chin, she mumbled, "Not your fault."

"Then do you forgive me, Dana?"

A corner of her mouth tilted upward. "Sure."

Suddenly, his drink clattered to the floor, and Dune was all up in her personal space as he shook her shoulders, although he had the nerve to lecture her, "Dana, what the _hell_ were you thinking, just, just bringing a villain into your home as if it wasn't complicated enough to separate our work lives from our personal! You had to reveal to him where you eat, sleep, and even leave your classified information from SPOON right on your desk—"

"Hey—!"

It took a moment, but Dana was able to elbow him in the throat. He hacked, but surprisingly, one iron grip was relentless upon her arm. A scowl darkening her expression, she argued, "I didn't think that he'd get away! He was dying and then he wasn't!"

His hand loosened off her. "Dana…"

"I wouldn't have let him if I knew this was going to happen."

"Dana," he started again, watching her as she uncapped her bottle and drank in one-shot. "Dana, you know you have to let him go in a precarious situation like that."

"No way," she snarled.

Sharper, he asserted, "Dana, if the Chief knew what you…"

They were both very quiet as slow as they could, they turned to a not-so-secretive newcomer standing too close, way too close. A man with a head of blue curls—not that particular shade of blue that would return maximum murder to mind—and donned in a lavish suit sipped at his wineglass as he stared at Dune and Dana.

"How much have you heard?" Dune demanded lowly.

"Oh, please don't mind me. I just thought it was terribly odd how the two of you were speaking in such low voices, and at such close quarters when I believed you had a kept woman elsewhere—"

His tone even, but firm, he interjected, "A man, but irrelevant."

"Dune, I hadn't asked. But, as I was saying, I thought to myself, why, something must be up and then just in luck, you had mentioned the Chief." Melodramatically, the uninvited dropped his glass, shattering it into crystalline pieces, and swished his fingers. "You must go on! If Chief knew about what?"

Granted, he wasn't blue boy, but he was a man-boy to Dana with stupid blue hair and she damn well wanted to kick his ass. Teeth gritted, she smiled. "Would you mind giving us some space, July-sunbae?"

A sardonic smile playing along his lips, he drawled, "I do mind, Dana- _agassi_."

Honestly, Dune was here so Dana was truly trying to have a civil talk with one of the worst losers SPOON had to employ, but he had to go there, therefore it was only right if she kept up to his pace.

Nudging Dune aside, she responded, "I prefer that you call me by my title while we're working, _July_."

"Dana!"

Dumping fuel to the fire, July taunted, "That title wasn't yours to begin with."

"You're still on that?!" Dana retorted.

A vein pulsing in his neck, July stepped forward and fumed, "Chief had eyes on me back when he had good eyes, and then all this rubbish reasoning about pity-hiring lady heroes clouded his mind that he began to consider you."

"Fuck off."

Ignoring her succinct suggestion, July pushed farther. "The only reason you were capable of raising a bit of hell was because of your un-ladylike power. Which, you must know belongs to a gentleman." This was not good, oh no, Dune knew as he yanked her back, yet she stood her ground. "Dana, dear, you know I'm right when you're weak as shit when your temper blows." Accompanied with a smug smirk, he pointed out, "Now would be a good example?"

The last line resounded with Dana, who listened to Dune's worried whispering, before she rolled her head back and scoffed. "I don't have time for your shit."

Hearing that, Dune heaved a sigh of relief. He tugged her away from July, which was working when she swiveled on her heel and strode off. This was going best-case scenario until Dune remembered July was the worst instigator in the world when he cupped his hands and roared, "Fight me!"

He had her at 'fight.' Once Dana turned around, Dune sighed again, but from the opposite of relief. "What did you say?"

"A physical altercation resulting in a clear winner! The rational method the Chief should have chosen his Vice Chief! Why did we not exchange blows from the start?" Under his breath, July snickered, "We can all take a guess at the real winner."

"Dana _,_ don't you think you'realready treading thin ice?"

"I got this." She shushed Dune with the rise of her arm. "I'm not going to fall for your misogynist—"

"Fall for me?" challenged July, hands on his hips. "Or must you be a bit—"

Though July probably heard his fair warnings of calling the Vice Chief the b-bomb, he couldn't register how that black blur was her fist heading for his face. Just before he could feel his nose break, July realized his maintained its ideal ski-slope shape.

"Dana!" She blinked, trying to understand why Dune smeared blood from his nose. "Not here, not now! You know that!"

"God, Dune, I'm sorry? You're right about that— _not here_ …"

"Then let's go!" he ordered, trying to shove her away, but it was of no use.

Not even five minutes later, Dune was groaning on the sidelines of SPOON's training arena. Legs dangling over the side, he sat in the Bacchus wagon with Dana's jacket over his arm. Beside him, a crowd of fangirls squealed for the Vice Chief. She'd unbuttoned her dress shirt, which was fine since she had an undershirt, and was rolling up her shirt sleeves. A sort of excitable energy surrounded her, and Dune couldn't pry her from the match unless he yelled,

"Dana, weren't you assigned a mission today?"

"No!"

Impossible since the Vice Chief was a busy hero. Either she didn't know, or she did know and she just didn't care. Whatever reason, it didn't matter since Dana did like to do things her own way. She wasn't the only one when that could be said for her opponent as well, but Dune tried anyway.

"July-sunbae, weren't you assigned a mission today?"

"Oh, yes," he yelled, brushing dust from his suit sleeves. "I suppose I'll leave those orphaned kids to barbecue."

Disgusted disbelief crossed everyone's expression, until July cleared up, "I wasn't serious!"

"Horrible, horrible, absolutely horrible," the groupie gossiped to each other, and Dune found himself nodding along. Groaning again, he reached for his box of cigarettes. "How can you joke about children dying when you're a hero?"

"You can if you're July-sunbae," Dune muttered, blowing smoke, just as July and Dana were hand-to-hand.

Although the both of them were adequate with long-range, their forte was close combat. Dana went for quick jabs at his neck and backside, and was sure to keep her head leveled as she went over July's abilities. As she ducked from a petty snatch for her hair, she was wondering whether he would use his superpower just as his fist gleamed silver.

With an actual reason, the Chief had been eying July for Vice Chief when he could show his use for power plus skill. The skill wasn't apparent when Dana knew he would go for a steel-coated punch, and was able to counter-attack another. Just a bit of a change-up, he went for a kick of steel. His silver leg grazed a millimeter beside hers. But then July timed until his foot, while did miss, was close enough that a silver spike shot from his ankle. It didn't hit Dana, rather extended between her calves, and with a swipe of his leg, she lost her balance and went down.

"Ha!" July bellowed, watching her hand hit the ground, until he realized she chose hand-first so she'd flip back onto her feet.

Undeterred coolness radiated from Dana's solid stance, but her calf throbbed. Momentarily, she was pissed such an elementary move worked against her. Now she was resisting to check if she bruised. There wasn't time for such anyway when July didn't wait for her pause, rushing forward to deliver a standard steely punch. When she dodged, that only proved she'd let her guard down as she leaned instinctively toward her calf. Her head was out of vicinity for his go-to uppercuts, but a rod of steel extended between his wrists.

In return, her leg shot out and, with careful timing, July immobilized her foot between the rod and his body. Sweat dotted her temple when it was necessary now to rely on her other leg to stand. In a bit of pain, she only needed one moment before she bent her trapped leg, causing July to trip towards her, with her fist flying for his nose.

Unfortunately, she forgot about breaking that stupid rod; just before her fist connected, July slammed the rod toward her as well. The Vice Chief despised the steel-user for a number of reasons, but number one was for his sneaky need to inflict as much pain as possible. In the span of a moment, the cylindrical rod had malformed into ragged edges and successfully scraped against her temple.

Blood poured from both sides; July running a hand from his nosebleed, Dana not even acknowledging the bloody trail from her hairline, dripping down her jaw. The animosity was mutual as they collided into round two, however, the intensity had elevated to a point the onlookers suspected to be out-of-bounds.

Burning with need for victory, July was able to endure a kick to his gut, grinning even, when he shot out a steel hand against her throat. Instinctively, her fingers grabbled with his heavy hold, but he shoved her down. Something was off as Dana threw her arm back, and it stayed behind. Too soon to realize, she squinted to see steel string slithering from his legs that was sewing her to the floor where her entire arm was bound.

Drops of scarlet squeezed onto her sleeves as soon as Dana moved a muscle. Stinging pain was one thing, but to see a man with coincidentally maddening blue hair was another that had her strength dwindling. Pride taking over, she fought against threatening threads that carved into her skin, into her veins, forcing blood from her flesh. Losing blood was a problem when she already knew she lost. Since the outcome was this, she was just about to accept defeat as July boasted, "—honestly no other outcome! Now you know what to expect the next time we'll meet again, Dana-agassi?"

The words before were white noise. What she heard was, "—we'll meet again, Dana—ssi?"

Something snapped within Dana, which sounded like strings _twanging_ apart.

The last time she had a good ol' punch-to-the-death was back when she was a high school hell-raiser. Just like old times, she reawakened the pure hostility of beating the fucking shit outta someone unless her rage ran out. But to some, hers was a well that never ran dry. As somebody who knew Dana well, Dune wrenched July to safety as the groupie girls crowded Dana, cried for her to calm down.

It was unclear who was the real winner now that July held his mottled, swelling face and that Dana ignored the varied cuts across her arms and legs. Unchanged, their antagonistic attitudes toward one another were as they clenched their fists just in case.

"What in the world?" Suddenly, July and Dana hid their hands from the shouting newcomer. "What's happened here?"

At first, Dune forwarded the Chief and was about to fill him in, until Chief articulated, "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"

Then his scrutinizing stare found July and he speed-walked before him. "Hey, hey, hey!" Annoyed, the Chief tapped a rolled-up newspaper against his blue-purplish cheek. July grimaced. "I was looking for you! You just got a mission!"

"Chief, I am busy!" he dared to speak back.

"July, you gotta save a burning orphanage."

"For fuck's sake—"

With that, July left the arena with no trace other than his blood drying on Dana's knuckles. That was the last thing the Chief needed to know so she grabbed her jacket from Dune and hurriedly slipped into the sleeves. Still, he had to talk to her with disappointment etching into every stress line in his face.

"Vice Chief," he said, not blind to the results of her latest fight upon her. "You're lucky you're on paperwork duty, but I didn't know paperwork meant picking petty fights?"

There wasn't a correct answer for that. Stalling for time, she brushed a hand against her still bleeding temple. Ouch. "I was busy too." Her gaze shifted to the half-empty wagon of Bacchus, which she kicked behind her. "I ran into Dune and July-sunbae, then maybe things got a little out of hand."

"Maybe? A little?"

She lied, "I was going to paperwork right after, Chief."

"Can we have a minute alone?" Without turning around, he'd commanded Dune and everyone else out of the arena, leaving Chief and Vice Chief. "Listen to me, Dana, you're a good hero, but for the past month or so, you're not good." Her mouth parted, but he raised a hand to shut her up. "I thought I could fix your unreasonable need to fight more and more, your ditching of particular missions, your unbelievable and uncontrollable aggression, your random inattention— _Vice Chief_."

Some semblance of blue boy was lurking by the double doors. But Dana may have been imagining it as her gaze lazily returned to the Chief. "What?"

"See, this is the shit I'm talking about," he fumed.

"So?"

"I'm at a standstill, I see." A hand over his mouth, the Chief sighed into his palm and muttered, "I'm allowing you back on the case."

"…What?"

Grumbling almost, he explained, "I said take a break from work and your behavior worsened. So I thought about it. If taking a break doesn't work, then that must mean if you've returned onto work, your heroic morale will improve, correct?"

Dana bit back an explosive laugh of satisfaction. "Correct, Chief."

"You should hope you are correct." He sighed, and reached into his suit jacket. The subtle traces of paranoia vanished from Dana's expression when he handed her a manila folder, but he stopped her from opening it. "I'm giving you two weeks, Vice Chief, to close this. Give that to the filing department and they'll set you up with what information we have. You must work with what you got. I'll let you start tomorrow—"

"Today!"

His tone deepened significantly as he repeated, "Tomorrow, you may start, but today—" Stress lines marred his forehead as he leaned closer to Dana, giving her a onceover of her battle-battered self. "Today, you will head to the infirmary, and right after, the only work you will be doing is paper, Vice Chief. You're aware of what paperwork is?"

Perhaps it was a good idea to do what he said.

Half genuine, half forced, she smiled and conceded, "You won't be seeing me in any more petty fights, Chief."

 **.**

At 9:07 in the morning, SPOON's filing department was enjoying a run-of-the-mill, quiet morning, save for the rustling of tons and tons of paper. Some were preoccupied with typing, sipping office-brewed coffee, even slacking off with low chit-chatting, but they all looked up to catch the Vice Chief of SPOON screeching to a stop before the receptionist's desk.

"Uhh…" He had to wait for her to catch her breath, before he greeted, "How can I help you?"

With a dramatized _thwomp_ , a light folder was dropped upon the counter. "I need—I-I need infor-fff-for-mation!"

Again, he stalled, "Uhhh…" A moment passed before he slid the folder to his side, noting the number of repeated creases, and scanned the contents at once. Brow creased, he closed it and turned around to call, "Snow-sunbae! Sunbae!" It took another moment before a dainty figure in speckled white stood quickly, their mouth preoccupied with a _samgak kimbap_. Waving their hand, they disappeared into the back most further cabinets, to which the receptionist only said, "Just follow Snow-sunbae, and you're good to go."

The file in hand, Dana waved it in gratitude and moved as he had instructed. The cabinets were only a diversion when it really buried a ceiling-to-floor wired gate. Against the door, Snow the slime-hybrid secretary was finishing her breakfast with a cheeky smile toward Dana.

"Dana-ya!" they greeted chummily, reaching for a cozy hug. Dana obliged. "How are you? Have you had breakfast? You look as full as energy as always."

As they unlocked the door, Dana returned conversation, "I'm alright, I guess, and I've hadn't eaten, but I'm alright, thanks. I take it you're good? How's Raine doing?"

"No, that won't do! Eat this for me?" Somehow, another samgak kimbap manifested into Dana's hand and they closed her fingers over it. Shrugging, she ate as Snow chatted, "Raine and I, we're well, very well, in fact! She really wants to follow her mother's footsteps, but I'm just a teensy concerned that she'd rather go out in the field, you know, saving people." After locking the door after them, Snow pulled Dana into a lightless room. The space felt endless which proved to be right after the light turned on. There was way more cabinets, just taller, wider, more everywhere. "I shouldn't be worried when you're in charge, shouldn't I?" Polite, Dana nodded and tapped her fingers against the folder. "Oh, that's right, you're here for a case! Let me see!"

A humming variation of a pop song strewn from Snow's lips while they flipped through the folder's papers and tilted their head quizzically. That could be a sign of not-good, so Dana neared them to check, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, one little thing… This might take several days however…"

"What?"

Their mouth curved a millimeter. "What you've basically given me are your mission reports. Which would be easy if I quick searched the online database, but some of this—" Shaking their head, Snow pointed to a description box of the perpetrators, their index finger following the line of "young man with light blue eyes, white hair, white wings at base of back, dressed in lab coat, "—like this fellow here… That's a bit more complicated character to read into, dear."

Dana frowned, then rubbed her neck. "Why?"

"There can be lots of reasons as to why it's closed-off to most heroes, but I may find an exception for the Vice Chief."

With that, they winked, plucked a pen from their bun, and started writing upon the folder's front. Short words littered the page such as "the Oz, drug-related cases, white twins, villain #360" or as far as Dana could tell when she read over Snow's shoulder. She was about to ask about victim #360 perhaps being blue boy just as her phone _bleeped_.

"Sorry," she whispered, and checked the notification.

Unsurprisingly, Dune had some business with her, having sent: **Heard Chief allowed it. Where are you?**

Dana had to glance back at Snow, who was busy re-reading, and replied: **At filing. Help me?**

 **I'm finishing up at POT. I'll be there soon.**

 **Hey, Dana! I heard Chief let you back on the case, which I thought was crazy since you were… you know. Not that crazy lol.** This couldn't be Dune, which wasn't, but she could take a stab the text was more like Jelina's style, which it was. **Sangjae and I got a few hours to kill before our next assignment. What are you doing? Is it The Case?**

"Dana?" As if scolded suddenly, the Vice Chief jerked to see Snow done already. "Do you remember how to operate the filing system?"

"…Should I?"

Honestly, Snow was expecting that as they handed the folder back to Dana. "What I've written down are key words. You should use them in our online database. They'll connect you to other reports, articles, character profiles, etc. etc. which most of will be in paper. Hence, all these cabinets." A pleasant chuckle reverberated within the metal expanse, but the echoes gave Dana the chills. "The information is categorized by number so when you find a particular file you want, find its filing number, and that's all you need to know."

Since they were as helpful as always, Dana offered a small smile. "Thanks, Snow-sunbaenim. I just, uh, have one question." If it were possible, bubbly blossoms would be floating around Snow's sociable expression when Dana questioned, "Are other heroes allowed to come in?"

Snow's answer had been yes and more as the slime mother-figure hovered from Sangjae to Jelina to Dana, serving them cups of coffee and advising them to take breaks. It hadn't even been an hour when Dune finally arrived with Claude right at his heel.

"What took you so long?!" she yelled from somewhere.

After Snow let him in, Dune scratched his wind-tussled hair as he peeked from cabinet to cabinet, until he heard Sangjae's cool voice, "The third aisle to the left of the entrance."

He was a lot more helpful than Dana when the deer-human's statement brought Dune and Claude to three figures sitting at a table. Or by table, it was four relatively low cabinets shoved together and the tops were littered with piles and piles of paper and coffee mugs. Sangjae and Jelina were whispering together as their stares focused on a single file while the Vice Chief glared at hers with her palms flat against the surface.

"Nothing much?" sighed Dune, sliding off his jacket.

Not even acknowledging them with a look, Dana barked, "Shut up."

He and Claude took a seat next to the others instead who passed down mugs of Snow's prepared coffee. Since the Vice Chief was in her own world, Claude leaned in and asked, "So what's happening here?"

"Snow-sunbae told the Vice Chief we wouldn't find much," filled in Sangjae, now opening a new file and scanning through the first page. "They were right so far."

Curiosity pushed Dune to finger through an open file beside him, his stare reading through carefully of 'party goers were recorded for exhibiting symptoms similar to Lysergic acid diethylamide' … 'unable to find consumption evidence in the forms of either pills, capsules, or liquid' … 'primary objective is added; to acquire for signs of an advanced dangerous substance.'

It was normal to bust in on parties for a number of reasons, but Dune found it strange how a drug-related mission was added after the bust-in. Normally, drugs wouldn't be a big deal since they were everywhere at villain parties. In this case, an unknown could have a disastrous effect.

With an intentional nod, Dune's glasses fell before his eyes and, leaning against Claude, he picked up a file under his thigh. He didn't read half-way through before throwing it onto a pile, then scanned through a random report. Again, the events were along the same lines, and this read-retain-repeat continued for another hour.

After his eighteenth file, Dune blurted toward Dana, "How many more are there on abuse of the Oz?" No answer, so he knocked a pile of papers in her direction. Nothing, still. "Dana, are they even close to finding what form the Oz takes?"

At this point, she'd turned away so her profile sent him a threatening glower. Reading her mood, Jelina clarified for him, "It does have a liquid form, but it's possible it can be airborne too. There's no evidence for that though, well, it's hard to find airborne drugs anyway. All these symptoms from the party-people though, I'm a little scared now that I know—"

"You were supposed to know this," criticized the Vice Chief.

"—now I know there's a bunch of symptoms the Oz can copy, and I was like exposed to that stuff. Nasty." A beat later, too soon for anyone to form a response, a pager beeped from Sangjae's hip. They both dropped their jaws, gasping, before coming to a stand. "Oh no!" shrieked Jelina, tugging Sangjae's arm. "We're gonna be late for the mission! Hey, Dana, text us and we'll—"

"Actually, Jelina, I got—"

"Sangjae! And I will come buy tomorrow if you still need the extra help?"

Unmoved, she didn't spare a goodbye look. "Yeah, thanks, sunbae."

The deer-human was the first to leave, but just before Jelina did, she looked back from Dune to Claude to Dana, all immersed with their reading. "Hey," she interrupted, and their stares lazily lifted to her. "Maybe day two will be better?"

 **.**

Day two was useless.

As were day three and four, but day five was searching the last of Snow's recommended key words and the day they received permission for the Vice Chief to access the confidential cabinets. By the end of day five, Dana would think she would obtain everything about blue boy plus his white-winged henchmen, and the location for their next hit spot or whatever. Unfortunately, she was thinking best-case scenario which wasn't her current condition.

"Status update," she groaned, smacking a whiteboard with her the back of her hand. The pads of her fingers were callused from reading, something she never thought was possible. "So… Dune, the Oz?"

Lowering his fifth cup of coffee, he sputtered and said, "The Oz is an addictive drug of unknown forms, one of which we have confirmed it can be consumed as liquid with a green syringe, although the color appears to be unrelated, however, there is a theory that its original form is airborne." Squinting with bloodshot eyes, Dune lowered his glasses to recite better, "What's terrifying SPOON is the range of symptoms the Oz can invoke to a T of other dangerous drugs, and the fact that the Oz producers are making billions as we speak for an unheard substance. I'm assuming their main income specializes from the Oz-fueled, illegal parties, although there are a few cases where individual users have been abusing it with the syringes."

"Uh-huh. Where's the Oz coming from, Claude?"

"Ho-hold on." His beanie was wrinkled from many impromptu napping, so after smoothing it over his hair, Claude faced the group and contributed, "So like the Oz, right? It's coming from h not safe, that's for sure." Everyone erupted with dissatisfied disgruntles, but he laughed them off. "That night we bust in and messed up Dana forever—" She pointedly glared, but a smile quirked up for Claude, "—might've been a production unit because there's like no other missions on record for sending heroes to the Oz. So, for all we know, that blue dude and the white dudes have already selected an improved warehouse to make new Oz."

"Right. Sangjae, the white dudes?"

Since almost everyone was thinking _Oh yeah who are the white dudes?_ the mind reader's part was probably of some significance. As if this was a professional setting, he stood up and read from his writings, "I don't have much, but here we go. Um." Encouragingly, his partner bumped her pink-purplish head against his arm. "They're not human. They've been involved with some pretty higher-level villains' work from years ago, but photographs show their appearances remained unchanged. Adding onto the higher-level villains' work, the two of them have some ties to the newbie, but still terrible, villain group called KNIFE."

"That's stupid," Jelina said just as Sangjae read Claude's _But we're called SPOON_.

Ignoring the comment, Dana had been writing upon the whiteboard, and swiveled around to question, "What is KNIFE?"

"I actually haven't found much, except their leader is called Baek Morae… He most likely started KNIFE from a laboratory genocide, which one of the white twins was working at. That incident is too high-classified for my average hero's eyes, but we have reason to believe the twin had escaped with Baek Morae and a few unidentified survivors."

"That's good, that's good," remarked Dana as she cocked her head at her noted map. At the center were two words in capitalized letters and even block letters for everyone to see. "Jelina?"

"Blue boy!" she cheered, stepping a kitten heel onto the cabinet-table. "He's clearly a drug lord over his evil empire of this new-age addictive drug called the Oz! Blue boy has got some amazing cover-ups for his tracks, because for the tons and tons of illegal festivities thrown with the usage of the Oz, almost all customers who dealt with the Oz don't remember doing that! But for a very few, they point fingers at the white twins, who have to be cover-ups for blue boy!" Energized by hatred, Dana smacked the board hard enough it flipped thrice upon its stand. "Whoa, Dana. Anyway, he's never seen at the parties by the majority of party-goers, but he's blue so shouldn't he be really easy to spot?"

"Can't be sure about that. But good, good work, everyone. Now what does all of this mean?"

Moments passed as the group stared at the scribbled board with Dana's back blocking most of it. Arms crossed, she was also staring and, thinking of the next big step, she was not the only one coming up with infuriatingly, absolutely nothing.

After another five minutes, Claude commented, "We're fucked."

"No! That can't be! No! We're! Not!" With each word, she banged her fist against her forehead, but that hardly changed the state of their situation, much less the reality of Claude's two words of painful truth. " _Aaaarrrggh!_ " At once, her coworkers shifted to friends-mode as they offered intermingling phrases of reassurance, but that was not what Dana needed. "No, shut up, please, ugh, just—just go home, guys."

"Vice Chief, that's not—"

"Hey, Dana, I didn't mean—"

"Dana! You gotta keep your—"

"Dana…"

Honestly, ll these voices belonged to people whose time, energy, and brain cells she lost because she failed to connect any of their information into continuing onto Step Two. It was only best that she discontinued them from losing whatever else she could suck from them.

Jacket on, she waved a hand back in goodbye, before exiting the wired gate. At their desk, Snow spotted Dana and called, "Dana-ya!"

To them as well, her hand raised, lowered, and she was on her way.

Exposing blue boy was probably the only incentive for her week to progress, but now even that seemed near impossible due to his invisible tracks. It didn't matter; the Vice Chief didn't care that much anyway. Or that was what she'd reply to people once word got around that the case was as cold as she was.

Once she made upon home's doorstep, she undid her tie and her shoes, the former thrown onto her coach. Almost mindlessly, she trudged to her fridge where the top two shelves were stocked with Bacchus. What drove insane for the past two weeks was how she'd down the very last bottle, but only to find the shelves restocked the next morning. Still, it was free drinks so she swiped two from the fridge and headed to her bedroom.

Although sleep would be great right about now, she knew a shower was in order.

After knocking her head against the wall tiles for twenty minutes that moved like five, Dana scrubbed a short towel through her dripping hair with one hand, and drank the Bacchus with the other. The first drink took a minute, but the second disappeared in one-shot.

Just as the glass opening left her lips, she exited her bedroom and at once narrowed her eyes. Slowly, Dana turned to coolly confirm if she wasn't alone.

Her guest was someone she spent a lot of her and others' time searching for, and for him to appear like magic on her sofa pissed her the fuck off. But then something was off, just like the last time he was here. At a closer look, Dana realized blue boy gripped his bleeding side, the lower half with all the intestines maybe, and a handle of a dagger peeked from his left shoulder.

Although a proper greeting wouldn't suffice, he parted his lips to say, "Help me."

—


	5. you've got to see blood, girl

**a/n:** i'mma change all my notes here since it looks better and i write up here sometimes anyway so :/ there are two Doyoungs in this chapter! nothing else really than dana-osu interactions. cool cool~

my thanks to Eternal Nocturne; and osu is a sweet cinnamon roll, but i think he can also be bad sinnamon roll if he was raised it's okay to be that way... yanno ;D

* * *

 **.**

 **5\. you've gotta see blood, girl**

 **.**

Every shitty thing can be originated from one beginning, but in Dana's case, it was one perpetrator and he was currently bleeding all over her sofa.

"Asshole," she cursed, and crossed her arms, "you're ruining my furniture."

As if to further push her buttons, blue boy collapsed onto a crimson-soaked cushion.

Maybe he didn't catch that. Great. Just because she indirectly beat up his cold virus now meant she was his go-to doctor. Although first aid was required for every SPOON hero, Dana didn't know what he expected of her when it was pretty clear he needed a doctor with four plus years of medical school, a PhD, the works. But since she didn't have any of that, her medical routine consisted of glaring and prodding his red hands.

He whimpered, "Pl-plea-ease."

Totally tranquil, she rested her cheek against her white fist. "Do I look like a hospital?"

Strange, how his reaction could almost be identical with his reaction to fever-reducing medication. Blue boy was desperate as he reached out to her, and stained her skin scarlet. "Haha-hay-hate." With the rate things were moving, there'd be a corpse upon her couch by her next question. Dana's outward expression would say she couldn't give a shit, but then again, she didn't let him die before. That time, his cause of death had to be by her hands, but tonight? Since her internal conflict wasted time, blue boy squeezed his grip and sacrificed his remaining strength to beg, "Please help me."

There was a moment of registering his plead before Dana thought, _Gotta let him die._ Her impromptu patient collapsed onto his side with the knife digging farther into his back. It wasn't déjà vu when his breathing became heavy, raspy even, and blue boy began to blink for much longer than a living person should. After one particularly eternal-sleep-like blink, he opened his eyes, slightly surprised to see her crouching before him.

Just like an angel of healing, Dana smiled as she forcefully tied her suit jacket around his head. Him being at his weakest, blue boy couldn't fight her off and silently succumbed to this uncomfortable appearance. While surveying her work, Dana called up the only healer she knew.

"Dana-ya?"

"Hey, sunbaenim."

"Hello. I've heard the Oz was handed back to you."

"Yep."

"To be honest," she could hear him hiccup a sob, "I'm a slight hurt that you didn't include me in the old team since—"

"Yeah, Doyoung-sunbaenim, listen, I'm real sorry about that, but I got a dying dumbass and I'm gonna need you to send Doyoung."

"Doyoung? My lovely little lotus?" An extended pause passed, which wasn't good for blue boy, but Doyoung hummed. "You're aware that it's much more appropriate to have a certified healer for life and death situations."

Wow, the only time he was being helpful and he wasn't. Blue boy's head under her twitching grip, Dana replied, "Sunbaenim, please send your daughter and I'll let you on the Oz case." There was an odd beat when her exasperated eyes glanced to her prime suspect who could close The Case forever. "Give me your daughter and we can all work back as that original team of kicking Oz's ass, alright?"

"Affirmative, my daughter is yours." A hand across her knitted brow, Dana peered in closer to blue boy. Perhaps he heard the good news because he was somehow awake, his jacketed head tilted toward her. "She should be coming back from the English academy… I think."

She pinched the skin between her narrowed eyes. "You think?"

There was scuffling noise from the other line before the healer replied, "Yes! According to her daily schedule I've conveniently written on my arm, she is, and I will send her on your way. Oh!" Rubbing her temple, Dana knew better then to ask and listened to him exclaim, "How convenient! Did you know her school is located nearby your neighborhood? Hm. Are you currently at your residence?"

"Yeah," she yawned, and kneeled down to blue boy. As weak as he was, his jacketed head followed her motion. Sharp, her eyes glanced below his neck where the dagger handle was still apparent. "Sunbaenim, how do I treat a stab wound when the knife's still in?"

Since stab wounds were per usual, Doyoung instructed imperturbably, "Dress around the wound, Dana, and use pressure. Don't touch the knife." After retrieving bandages, Dana once again had to strip his upper half, which revealed sickly skin. Not unusual with last time. But the knife in his shoulder, mottling his wound blue-purple now, was perhaps very much so, but she didn't know him. "Why did you not mention this first? Dana, who is this dumbass?"

Blue boy groaned as Dana nudged him forward. The phone between her cheek and shoulder, she ripped off a clean bandage with her teeth and spat back, "Have you called Doyoung?"

"Yes, she's on her way, but—"

"Sunbaenim, I forgot this other stab wound so I'll tell Doyoung to call you when she's done."

With a lift of her head, the phone clattered to the floor. Though it vibrated along the carpet, Dana paid no attention as she had to administer first aid. The instructions were easy enough that her bandaging had to help some bit. At least enough so the blood was sponging up. That should be good. It just needed to hold up until Doyoung came by, Dana reasoned to herself, and she switched to the injury upon blue boy's abdomen.

"Dana-ssi."

"Still alive? Unfortunate," She snorted and pressed a thicker bandage to the wound. A small whimper emanated past his curled lips, but he was in no state to argue. "Would it kill you to not come to my—fuck, no, don't answer that."

Though Dana expected nerve-grating laughter, he instead muttered nervously, "I'm sorry."

Before she could force him to repeat that, a _ding-dong_ interrupted her future demand. At the door was Doyoung-sunbaenim's dearest treasure which that all of SPOON unwillingly knew of—Doyoung Junior, dressed in her school uniform, bedtime slippers, and a typical sleepy stare.

After Dana opened the door, Doyoung was removing her blazer when she asked, "Dana-unnie, um, my dad mentioned someone is dying?"

Since Doyoung was an actual invited guest, Dana fulfilled host duties by hanging up Doyoung's school blazer and schoolbag, before answering, "There." A moment passed as Doyoung lazily looked over her shoulder, giving Dana an inquisitive frown. The Vice-Chief suddenly recalled blue boy was bruised and bleeding, in addition to not obviously appearing as a blue boy, but more like jacketed jackass.

Strained smile on, Dana hurried to jacketed jackass' side before swiveling him to his knifed-in backside. From Doyoung's reaction, Dana should be answering questions, but time was at stake when blue boy released a muffled groan.

Dana prompted, "So can you heal him or…?"

Bemusement stilled Doyoung's face for a moment, then she cocked her head. "I guess."

Cautiously, she closed in with considerable distance and peered at the wound. "Well. I never really healed an injury of this scale before. I can try. But first," started Doyoung, rolling up her sleeves, "that knife needs to be removed."

Both of them weren't too eager to remove the weapon, but Dana had to as Doyoung needed to focus with touch and heal. Before Dana started, she reached over her sofa to grab the tie from earlier, balled that shit up, and lifted the jacket just enough so she could hear blue boy gasping ragged exhales. That could be attributed to confining him to claustrophobia, but really, Dana couldn't give a fuck.

"Hey," she called. More heavy breathing. "Bite down."

With that, Dana accidentally-on-purpose shoved her tie ball down his throat. Death-inducing as that was, blue boy hacked for his life as Dana gripped the dagger with a steady hand, Doyoung on the opposite side of him.

There had to be a procedure to this, which Dana carried out by ordering Doyoung, "On my count." As the healer nodded, blue boy replied in the form of tie-in-my-throat gibberish, so the hero took that as an affirmative. "One." Her hold warmed around the dagger handle. It was slightly sticky. "Two." Doyoung's skirt shifted as Dana tightened her grip. "Three."

Even though the dagger came out without a hitch, even though Doyoung's magic touch was immediate upon his gushing wound, Dana flinched when blue boy screamed.

"Good," breathed Dana while grasping the knife. Blood ran like veins down the blade, and dripped from the jagged tip, but blue boy was no longer in danger of blood loss. Though he lived, a peculiar solemnity shadowed Doyoung as she turned to the Vice Chief who asked, "Doyoung? What's wrong?"

Circles of used bandaging collected in her lap, which Dana didn't realize her first-aid work would go to waste so quickly, and then Doyoung turned blue boy toward Dana. Good news was that the bleeding had stopped, but bad news was nasty wrinkled skin from where the dagger was once embedded. The weapon still in hand, Dana instantly released it upon her carpet and rubbed the clean heel of her palm against her eyes.

"Oh, unnie, there's one more." piped up Doyoung. She was better at her father's job than Dana would've imagined. After she healed blue boy's abdomen injury, she checked for any other major wounds. Her stare sharp, Doyoung stood up, a splatter of blood evident upon her white shirt. "I think that's it."

Her hand down, Dana finally noticed and resumed host duties, even though hosts didn't stain villain's blood upon their guests. "Shit, sorry," she swore, glaring at blue boy. Ultimately, it was his fault. His torso barely holding up, he was evidently conscious by feeling around his scar. "Here, I'll get you one of mine, I'll be right back!"

"Unnie, I think—"

Whatever she had to say, Dana thought she could hear the end of it through light speed-zipping to her room, snatching a clean shirt from her dresser, and light speed-zipping back out. However, Doyoung was quiet as she stared down at blue boy's unjacketed countenance.

It didn't make sense to Dana that she'd come back to this, so she had to ask, "What'd he do?!"

An odd beat passed before Doyoung told her, "Nothing, really." Doyoung knew better than to lie to Dana, but the Vice Chief didn't seem to believe her anyway. Not when she was about to ground her fist upon the knocked-out's head. "When you left, he had enough strength to remove the jacket. I told him he needed some rest, but he turned to me and just before he lost consciousness, he…" In the middle of buttoning on Dana's shirt, Doyoung paused and admitted, "He thanked me."

"What? Huh… weird." Scratching the nape of her neck, Dana muttered, "So, uhh, you know him?"

Doyoung blinked. "No?"

"Really?"

Slower, she blinked again. "Am I supposed to?"

"No, no!" agreed Dana, thanking her good fortune that her father hadn't blabbed about his missions to his daughter. He gave off that vibe, but then again, his daughter gave off If-you-think-I'm-not-listening-you're-right look. Speaking to her, the Vice Chief grimaced at the speckled red upon Doyoung's cheek. Yo, you still got blood on you." After she left to the bathroom, Dana swiped her bloody jacket from the floor and hissed to blue boy, "Asshole."

When Doyoung returned, she retrieved her bag and blazer. By her side, Dana fitted on her jacket as well, while suggesting, "Don't take the train tonight. I'll call for a cab." That had also been a reminder for the healer to call her dad. Doyoung took her conversation outside as Dana glanced back to blue boy. Quiet, he didn't appear to have awakened, but was given a goodbye anyway. "I better not find you messing around when I come back."

In a bit of a hurry, Dana escorted Doyoung to the market area near her apartment. There, taxis were waiting for drunken vomit-carriers. Doyoung's taxi driver was more than happy for someone stable and sober and even happier after receiving Dana's payment. On her way back to her apartment, she groaned before accepting a call from the other Doyoung.

"What!? No, I didn't take a picture of the taxi! Why would I?" Forgetting the power of rhetorical questions, Dana groaned as the Doyoung Senior lectured her on endlessly. "Listen, sunbaenim, I'm almost home and that dumbass is resting so I gotta go. Lemme know when she makes it home."

Fatigue finally crammed in her head as she half-leaned upon her front door. After unlocking it, the Vice Chief lost all strength, collapsing onto her shambolic pile of shoes. Her phone clattered between her only pair of heels. She wasn't usually this tired. But it was thanks to the built-up days of attempting to locate blue boy and the stressful minutes of saving his ass were catching up to her quite quickly. Dana just needed several hours to herself before her battery was recharged, but blue boy wouldn't allow it.

Kneeling over her, he ran his hand through her disheveled hair.

"Dana-ssi."

"Don't touch me."

"Dana-ssi."

"Leave me alone!" Her hand met his, although she swatted his touch away. "You got what you need, didn't you?!"

When blue boy leaned in, Dana could smell the blood rusting about him. Lowly, he admitted, "I didn't have any other option than to come to you." Dana brushed him aside with an annoyed scoff. He smiled and, with light fingertips, touched his new scar upon his shoulder blade. "You were my last resort, but that turned out better than I thought." Then a single finger on his lip, he followed her to her living room where she stopped upon seeing her living room.

It looked like a crime scene from her sofa to the majority of her carpet. On top of the fatigue, anger weighed heavily atop her and caused her head to throb. Dana rubbed her temple, not knowing why blue boy was still here. "Leave. Don't you dare come back."

"I think that's a little impossible," he mused from behind her.

"It's not impossible."

Blue boy shrugged. "Well, if not a little impossible, you're asking a little too much."

"No, it's not!" There was a second where Dana considered forcing him away from her, but she had to calm herself down first. Now, that was asking too much. Head back, she groaned, "Ugh, just—just leave me alone."

A pregnant pause followed before he said, "I can't."

" _Why not!?_ "

"Because," he laughed, shrugging noncommittedly. "I like you."

"No, you don't," she burst out, unfazed. Blue boy appeared to be unmoved as well. A last-minute threat slipped past her sneer, "You don't know me. You better not or I'll really leave you for dead."

Even in face of her threat, he was smiling. That didn't piss her off as much as she thought. But then again, Dana wouldn't take her own warnings for promises. Not after the times she let him go. Smoothing circles around her temple, Dana attempted not to care as she sat onto the living room carpet. She was careful not to prick herself from the dagger, but it was nowhere to be seen. Of course, that left one culprit who took a seat beside her and tapped into her phone.

Her hand palm-out, Dana spoke levelly, "Did you take the weapon?"

With one hand, blue boy slid his hand into his robe, revealing just the handle, and murmured, "I need this." With his other hand, he dropped the phone into her outstretched palm, but after her fingers closed over it, he closed his fingers over hers. As she was considering punching him in the nose, blue boy continued, "I intend to pay back the favor after they committed two crimes against me."

Dana was curious, she wouldn't admit. "One was trying to kill you?"

"Yeah." Beaming, blue boy stared ahead as he moved their hands into his lap. Dana thought twice about decking him, before he explained, "Two was the cause, trying to consume my goods without payment."

Opening a new page in her mental notebook, the Vice Chief paused. "Payment?"

Her interest amused blue boy. "The Oz is not your everyday narcotic that you'd find on the streets. Worldwide, I'm the only one who can produce it, and at limited quantity, so you can understand how pricey that'd be." For Vice Chief of SPOON, Dana didn't engage in that many drug-related missions, but she understood well enough. "I don't usually allow clients to take without giving. But I'm too kind to have some exceptions even if these transactions don't all work out."

Dana's hand twitched. Blue boy felt and he turned to her, offering her a soft smile.

Careful, she figured, "So this was when it didn't work out."

"Yes. Against my better judgement, I decided to confront the client with a single guard. He had prepared a dozen or so. But, in all honesty, it's so sad that he had the option of several years servicing me, yet—" This was chillingly weird as his voice darkened drastically with a cold film over his eyes, "—yet he'd chose a torturous demise."

Blue boy gauged her with his glacial glower. Dana didn't know what to say, but she remembered the situation was similar to how they first met. Devoid of warmth and emotion. It was very, very unreal as he then brightened, both light and life settling into his countenance. Dana's own was easy to tell of confusion. She wasn't a good predictor of people's personalities, much less blue boy.

"Don't," she found herself saying. By the slight rise of his brows, he was taken aback as well. "You villains always think murder is the answer. Why don't you let the heroes and the justice system take care of him?"

"Why do you heroes place so much trust into the justice system?" he rebutted.

There was a moment that Dana would answer that heroes were just supposed to, but that wasn't a very hero-like answer. "Because… Because it's doing an okay job? Look, it's better for a carefully considered system to take care of things than one person."

"Better than the one person who was wronged?"

"Of course! Justice would be in chaos if everyone thought they were the ones to deliver a punishment, since not everyone has the same morals, the same values." Her free hand raking her hair back, Dana further reasoned, "All sorts of crazy shit would be allowed to happen. Like, consider this, wouldn't it be weird if for the same exact crime, a criminal paid to relieve their guilt and another was sentenced to death?"

"But you'd think it's fair to say if one tried to murder, then they should be sentenced the same?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "That's subjective. Besides, you're aiming for actual murder."

The ice-like irritation returned to blue boy's glare. "Thanks to you, I've hardly escaped death by the skin of my teeth." Then he zipped down the top part of his robe, giving Dana a small glimpse of his shoulder scar. "I think the client at least deserves a gift to match mine?"

"What is it with villains and payback…?" muttered Dana. Weird thing was she noticed that the angrier he got, the more stoic his facial features became. "I think the only thing he deserves is as verdict from court."

"Do you honestly believe the justice system hands out righteous results?"

"I don't know, but I know they're better at it than you are."

Blue boy looked like he could physically fight her on this matter. Eyes aside, he zipped his clothes up and confessed, "I didn't think your type would place so much trust into your so-called justice system."

Now Dana had reason to fight back. " _My type?_ "

Gently, he spoke up, "I know your type."

"I don't have a type!"

"Denying it all follows the description of someone like your type would do. Were you unaware?" In a voice fit for calming down children, blue boy retorted calmly, "I can see you're powerful. That'd shaped you as you are. Dana-ssi, you've had physical strength all your life, and so you have always had pride for yourself. That has helped you acquire your heroic position, hasn't it?" He was _possibly_ spot-on with that, but bloody likely she'd let him know. "I'd think you would always believe you knew what was right to be right, so I find it hard to believe that you don't agree with me. But then it's not hard to see why your types are intimidated by you or that you are intimidated by them."

"Seriously?" Appalled, she scoffed. "Look, you're dead-wrong. I'm not intimated by anyone."

Blue boy leaned in, and Dana tried not to jerk back, but she did it anyway. Damn these stupid impulses.

"Is that so?"

Not a good indicator of proving her point when she said, "S-so you're saying I'm the same as you?"

In these close quarters, he dared to laugh. "I never said I was your type." He paused, thinking over that last part, before lifting their hands, somehow still clasped together. Half -listening, she turned to blue boy adding on, "Dana-ssi, it doesn't have to be people to intimidate you. Sometimes, your antagonizers are invisible to the eye."

The room somehow skyrocketed a billion degrees along with the amplification of her pulse in her head. Dana neither know when the Oz was administered, nor how she became vulnerable to its behavioral effects. Unusually loud, her blood beat in her head and it was so hot, so heavy, she almost fell back. It was a mental fight, the worst kind of fights, and she wasn't certain for her win.

Trying to free their entwined hands, Dana glared. "I don't know what you're doing, but it's pissing me the fuck off so… so you better…"

"I'm not very happy right now either." When blue boy looked at her, that old desire of caving his face in with her fist fired up at full force. Unfortunately, her hands felt like jelly when his mouth met her knuckles. Against her skin, he glanced up at her. "You don't seem to appreciate my ideals and you refuse to acknowledge me."

"What…the fuck?"

There was a beat when blue boy finally noticed. Stunned, he lowered their hands, scrutinizing her with something like worry. "Dana-ssi?"

Mind heavy, he couldn't comprehend her sudden exhaustion. What she believed was that the Oz forced her to unconsciousness. But what really happened was all that bundle of a new annoying emotion, stress, anger, and fatigue mingled together to be that final push for her body to force a last resort to save her ass.

Therefore, the last thing she heard was blue boy shouting, although stifled by her cotton-balled hearing, " _—ssi, don't go!_ "

 **.**

Blearily, Dana woke up in a hospital bed.

"How're you feeling?" The nurse by her side was fixing her IV and flicked at the tube.

A hand across her forehead, she tried to generate spit in her mouth when her tongue felt like sandpaper. "Like shit." A groan emitted from her dry lips as she sat up. "How long was I out?"

"Two and a half days since your admission."

" _Two days?!_ "

"Yep." With a swivel of his heel, the nurse waved. "I'll notify the doctor to check you up."

Disbelief crept into every line of Dana's expression. For a moment, she stared down her IV'd arm, before noticing her phone pinging. Past her needled arm, it lay on the bedside table along with a quaint bouquet, but she reached over to check her notifications. There were some from SPOON, mostly from Dune, a few from her mother and Doyoung, but then the newest one was from **Your Type.**

Annoyed, she was just about to change that, but she was Vice Chief and she had priorities. So after sending two-word messages to both her mother, Dune, and Chief, she then read her recent messages. The first was an image attachment of her living room. What she last remembered was the bloody mess of her sofa and carpet, but they both were replaced. Pretty nice-looking furniture too, not that Dana knew her furniture. The next was of blue boy himself, a selfie it seemed, seated upon her new sofa and flashing a peace sign.

But then she recognized those knotted cloths around his neck, and yelled, "My ties!"

Underneath, a message: **fyi I did clean the latest to the collection**

"Fucker," she scoffed, scrolling to the final surprise.

It was a link, and Dana didn't know what to expect. After taking her to the internet app, a black video popped up. That was the least she'd expected, but the content was much the least expected so far.

It began with darkness and noise, such that of a camera being moved around. Then there was a faint _thump_ , and colors, specifically blue as blue boy was front and center. He smiled, that deceitfully kind play of his lips, and motioned peace with his index and middle finger. But then, with his other hand, he held up a dagger by the blade. Dana's glare narrowed, breath still catching in her throat. Still smiling, he strode lazily away from the camera, before revealing an ordinary backdrop. Then those twins, white hair and white wings, were dragging a sniveling, middle-aged man into the center. Kneeling before him, blue boy stripped duct tape from his mouth.

The sound wasn't all that great, but Dana could hear an articulate jumble, "Pleasedon'tI'llneverIswearI'llpay— _I'll pay_ —I'llneverpullthatshit—"

Blue boy said nothing as he flipped his hold from the dagger's blade to handle. Before the terror completely overwhelmed the victim, blue boy carved a thin long line across his abdomen. Behind Dana's own, her gut twisted and she muffled her phone's speakers, not wanting the hospital staff to hear agonized screaming from her room. After that weird minute of a stranger's screeching, she removed her hand, only to watch blue boy calmly slip behind his victim.

The victim in question was sobbing, spitting garbled pleads and prayers, but in vain. Mercy was the last thing Dana would describe blue boy's gaze. Knowing that, she swallowed thickly, and muted the volume just as he stabbed the victim's shoulder blade.

"A gift to match mine," she recalled helplessly.

If there were any more horrors awaiting her, Dana wasn't going to witness them. Just before she closed out of there, blue boy skipped to the camera, and cradled it to close in on him. A spattering of blood dotted his hands, yet he wiped the back of one across his sweaty forehead. Completely disgusted, she forced her phone away from her, but her curiosity was biting at her, pushing her to unmute the volume.

Waiting, she watched when blue boy chuckled, and finally acknowledged her with a shit-eating grin,

"Dana-ssi, if you want to stop me, shouldn't you catch me first?"

—


	6. don't wanna be lonely

**a/n:** this one is a little info-heavy but it'll be fine. at least if it isn't, let me know… also godtdamn isn't a typo, it's in there intentionally and you'll see about 100 more chapters in I Don't Want This Kind of Hero?

anyway, yea~

much thank to my best beta: _Eternal Nocturn_ e :*

* * *

 **.**

 **6\. don't wanna be lonely**

 **.**

" _Those're it!_ "

Two thunderous words from Dana were enough to startle Dune. Shock rippled through his arm, bounding onto his hold with Hyena. For some reason, a toddler wasn't shaken at all and only looked above to her older sister.

Currently, she was demanding the florist in her own polite way. That involved a cocked hand on her hip, and the other forming an intimidating point toward the lower half of their apron. Still, she was trying with a strained smile plastered on toward the florist, who looked terrified. Usually her social skills wouldn't suck this much, Dune would know, but right then and there, her expression could pass for a gangster's cocky smirk.

Not before sighing heavily, Dune interrupted, "My friend here." For emphasis, he slowly patted Dana's arm. She side-eyed him. "She would like to know about… that?"

Following Dune's and Dana's finger, Hyena identified, "Apron!"

"No, Hyena-ya, not that." When she came to a kneel, Dana stretched her arm across small shoulders and gently nudged her sister lower. "Those."

There was a particularity to the lower half of the florist's arpon as that was where the florist kept little scissors, pliers, and the like. Both Dune and Hyena were puzzled as to why Dana would care. The only explanation they got was the florist who raised an eyebrow and replied, "These? They're my tools to help me with the flower preservation and arrangements."

Attentive, Dana rested her other hand onto her other hip. "These tools only belong to a florist?"

A dainty flowerpot in their arms, the florist shrugged. "I would think so?"

"That's it, we're good, thanks." With that, Dana was prepared to go, but Dune lingered at the flower shop. It took a minute before Dana remembered he was buying, but it took several minutes. Annoyed with the process as well, Hyena ended up selecting a bouquet for him. As they left together, Dana spilled to Dune, "This is my breakthrough."

Juggling the bouquet in one hand and Hyena's hold in the other, he struggled before Dana held the flowers for him. "Thanks. Those were—hmm." Lilies and tulips tickled below the spark in her eyes. Amazed, Dune asked, "What's this breakthrough then?"

Victory shone in her stare. "He thought using an untraceable number and erasing that video would save his ass. But he's wrong!" Unusually jumpy, Dana reached down in the middle of their walk to heft Hyena into her other arm. She laughed at the sudden lift, and Dana exuberantly joined in. "He's dead wrong! I've seen it once, but you can bet I'll pore over the details that only I can remember."

"You've really gone too far," muttered Dune, and smiled at her.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, I didn't need to keep playing it back in my head over and over," realized Dana. Beside her, Dune mellowed out his skeptical reaction. "I just needed a recognition trigger, something that'll jog my memory. So seeing those florist's tools made me remember."

"Remember what?"

Unfortunately, Dune didn't receive an immediate response when they reached their destination. Before they could even announce that, Hyena was already on her way to sandbox. Honestly, Dana didn't want Dune to leave alone at a children's playground, but she played an adult and said, "Thanks for walking with me. You're gonna meet Claude, right?" The flowers were shoved in his face pointedly. "An anniversary or something?"

Though he loved his boyfriend dearly, Dune sidled closer to her, and looked in the distance for Hyena. Audible enough to Dana, he mumbled, "He can wait a little longer."

"Anyway," started Dana triumphantly, tilting her head toward Dune. He really was interested. "So I've told you those white men were in the video, right?"

He nodded. "They're his accomplices, as we've established back then, and may be the ones to hold key links to other villain organizations."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, but like one of those men. He wears this dumb yellow apron, remember?"

"I recall faintly."

A smug smirk crossed her lips. "You wouldn't remember then. That night, he didn't have those, but in the video you didn't see, I distinctly remember seeing those florist's tools in his apron."

"Hmm." Dune mused, "How strange not to remove such distinguishing items."

"That's cause he underestimated me!" snarled Dana. Every child and their parent turned to her, then returned to whatever, although the younger ones were imitating her cheekily. Like Dana cared. "He thought he could erase the video, allow me a tiny glimpse, and be done with that. But he was _dead_ -wrong. He didn't count on my pure hatred for—"

Having no desire to hear the end of that, Dune interrupted, "Dana, you're doing more work than a SPOON hero should be doing."

Annoyed, she sent him a warning glower. "Look, Dune, I trust you as my friend and all, whatever. But if Chief thinks he can stop me by closing this case, then there's going to be a problem if you're gonna try to stop me too?"

"… I think I'll draw the line with how much I'll intervene with SPOON."

"Good, because my next plan is to— _shit_."

Dune gave her a pitied look. "I don't—I don't have the flowers he gave me. From the hospital. My mom threw them out," mumbled Dana, a hand to her forehead. Her left foot tapped impatiently against the brick ground. "I have an idea, but it'd be too forward on my part. Then again, I bet he would…" To Dune's fascination, Dana pulled out her cellphone and tapped away. After finishing her message, she left it alone for a minute, and eventually it pinged. Confusion now mingling with shock, Dune watched as Dana plucked Hyena away from her sand-demon and escaped from children territory, yelling behind her, "I'll call you later!"

Twenty minutes later, Dana huffed upon the third floor to her apartment. The elevators had broken down and, because of their abrupt exit, Hyena cried herself to sleep right upon Dana's back. That was all fine; her endurance wasn't for nothing, and it was all worth it anyway when she reached her door.

The hospital flowers were a considerate gift, some soft pastel colors to give her two-days-comatose eyes something easy to rest on. But these, against a modest white hallway, were extravagant with bright reds, blues, and yellows, which Dana didn't know the meaning of. It didn't matter as long as they were here. Still, she disbelievingly checked her messages, just to make sure he really did what he just did:

 _ **One week ago;**_ **Dana** : So you're ignoring me?

 _ **Four days ago;**_ **Dana:** The longer you don't answer, the longer you'll be pleading for death.

 _ **Today, 1:15 PM;**_ **Dana:** I want flowers.

 _ **Today, 1:16 PM;**_ **Your Type:** Consider it done ❤

 **.**

Like a wave before a storm, Dana clacked her fingernails from her index to her pinky against the waxed, wooden counter. The lazy look upon her face slightly lifted when a glamorous woman walked by. After she passed without a glance, the Vice Chief rolled her shoulders back and motioned to the bartender. Nearby chatter was somewhat loud so Dana leaned in to order, "You got Bacchus back there?"

"Vice Chief!"

Before the bartender could flip the counter, Dana turned around and guessed, "Lila-ssi?"

With good timing, Dana's guest had dropped in. She slid onto the empty barstool in a slinky sparkling number. Looking her over, Dana thought she was overdressed for the occasion, however, her guest commented, "You look far better than I'd imagined."

Since Lila had selected the rendezvous location, Dana had to abide to the posh atmosphere by dressing for it. That consisted of buttoning up her normal jacket and pinning up her ponytail so it swished by her lower back. But that was all it took to be accepted at the door. Really, Dana wasn't complaining, though their drink selection sucked ass.

"Wanna buy me a drink?" Lila suggested with an intentionally flirty wink.

Blind, Dana gestured for the bartender. "Sure, hold up." Just as he came over, she swiveled her seat toward her. "We gotta talk."

"But of course." With fingers suited for piano keys, Lila laced them underneath her chin as she ordered, before turning toward Dana as well. "So the Vice Chief is in need of my services?"

Short and sharp, she nodded. "Dune said that I could trust you."

The corners of Lila's wine-red lips curved. "What are you trusting me with?"

There was a second when Dana could reconsider, but she dived in, "I was given a second chance with a particular mission and I failed." A lift of Lila's immaculate eyebrow was her reaction, and Dana snarled to the side. "The Chief told me to deal with it and move on, but you know I'm just so close! I can taste his incarceration…"

A bright blue drink was placed before Lila. Her eyes unmoved from Dana, she reached out to pinch it between manicured fingers and sipped with an unblinking gaze. "How are you going to get him incarcerated?"

"Florist tools!" A white fist punched Dana's thigh, and Lila raised her drink cautiously. The Vice Chief's mouth formed an 'O.' In consideration, both her hands grasped her knees, and she spoke articulately, "A video was my one big lead but after viewing it once, I could no longer access it. So I had to nitpick anything distinguishing by my memory, but I couldn't remember anything of importance until florist tools."

Amused, Lila repeated, "Ah, yes, florist tools."

Focused, Dana continued to explain, "His accomplice had florist tools which means more than likely that he worked as a florist. And what better way to prove that theory than to ask for flowers." Disgust rippled upon the Vice Chief's stare, which Lila found more amusing. "I made him send me flowers! So I proved my suspicions correct by using those flowers to locate his accomplice's flower shop. But the thing is—I can't go there or anyone else for that matter."

Entirely entranced, Lila prompted, "Why can't you?"

"I'm a hero from SPOON," answered Dana, matter-of-factly. A slight crease of surprise marked her brows as though her reply was the common knowledge. Lila just laughed. "As well as anyone else I've trusted with this case, so they'll be recognized. But you're a POT hero, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

So Lila really was Dune's colleague. That was strangely hard to believe for Dana, though she didn't question it. "They won't know then. You should be good. Oh, your job is to go undercover for me and work at his shop with the intent of finding drugs."

Intrigue sparked in Lila's dark eyes. "Drugs?"

"Yeah, the villain in question is a drug lord. Did Dune never mention?"

Somehow elegantly, her guest shrugged.

Before she resumed, Lila just slightly leaned into Dana but she went off, "Since you're a hero, you should be best at observation and noting anything at all, especially a punk in blue, and this undercover investigation will be relying on you to get invited at some point."

"What sort of invitation?"

The Vice Chief had been waiting for this moment to pull out a manila folder from her jacket. Lila's attention on this case was genuine to Dana as far as she could tell. The bar's collective chatter was lowering to an inaudible dim when the photographs were revealed. As Lila shifted through them, absorbing the details slowly, Dana explained, "See, the villains hold these drug-fueled parties, and the participants all exhibit some symptoms of some other drugs, but the actual drugs are never found. That's why I need you to somehow get invited from the white man, or it'd be much easier to track a customer who's been to those, but I'll leave it up to you."

After a moment of thought, Lila asked, "My goal is to receive an invitation or the drugs for evidence?"

"The drugs, I guess, but the invitation will lead to it, won't it?" Folder papers flipping, Dana mulled over the information again before adding on, "I know it's a long shot for an employee to become invited, but if they give enough suspicion and you give them enough time, I think they'll come to believe that you're interested." She closed the folder and straightened her shoulders. "You can do it, I know it."

"I'll do my best, Vice Chief." Again, another outright wink. Dana blinked in response. "I'd hate to disappoint a handsome face like yours."

"So you're in?"

Lila drawled, "How can I not be?"

There could be a million reasons to answer that if the question was directed to Chief SPOON, but he wasn't here, and the Vice Chief was stingingly proud of that. "Alright, so I'll let you know when we're ready to fill you in with everything, before you apply to your undercover destination. And, uhh, want another drink?"

"Thank you for the offer, but no thank you." As she shook the nearly empty glass, a single blue droplet bobbed along the bottom. Eyes on the Vice Chief, Lila informed, "After this, I have a date with my girlfriend."

A thought popped up if Lila was also dating a POT member. Highly unlikely. "Uh… Must be a really swanky place?"

Lila shook her head, smiling sweetly. "Oh no, I'm always dressed up, no matter the occasion. Couldn't the same be said for you?"

Fancy cocktail dresses and black suits were polar opposites in Dana's head. She retorted in her politest tone possible, "No, this is just SPOON's old dress code, and while it's not required anymore, I just like these. They're comfortable."

"Hmm," hummed Lila in good time. Another dark-haired woman forwarded them and wrapped her arms around the POT hero. When Lila introduced her girlfriend, Dana didn't catch that. Weirdly enough, the back of her head was buzzed as Lila's girlfriend tipped her head toward Dana in greeting and goodbye. Leaving as well, Lila smoothed her dress down and smiled. "We will talk soon, Vice Chief?"

Cool, Dana raised her forearm as they left arm-in-arm. There wasn't a reason for her to stay any longer, so she gathered her folder and paid for Lila's drink before she headed off on her own. Thankfully, in some way, she was greeted by a different POT hero and an irrelevant vice president.

"You're done already?" asked Dune the second she got out. Arms across her chest, Dana eyed him dubiously. "I thought Lila might need a little more… suggestion."

She shrugged and unbuttoned her jacket. "No, she was on board pretty fast."

"Disgusting," interrupted Judas. A good glare wouldn't work on him as he barreled on, "Godtdamn, Dana, you look like a fucking anime character."

Like two lightning clashes, Dana and Judas were already at each other's throat. Since this was a public area, people did give looks toward a squabbling street fight. But since Dune was used to this, he lit a cigarette between his lips, crossed his arms, and declared, "I have news."

Her fists at his collar and his hand pushing her chin back, they stopped and looked at Dune expectantly. One hand removing the cigarette from his mouth, the news-bearer leaned against the bar wall. "Well," he began, tapping ash from his cigarette's end, "Dana, you remember I had my anniversary with Claude a few weeks back."

"No."

"Of course, you wouldn't remember our closest friend's anniversary, what an ass—"

"Did you remember?"

"Of course not! It's not my relation—"

Scuffling noises were returning at maximum speed, so Dune lay off the brick to stand as close as he could to them. Which, because of them, he couldn't return to finishing his anecdote so he had to spill right off the bat, "I think Claude will propose."

They stopped and they shouted, " _The fuck?_ "

 **.**

A blanket of smoke soared overhead of the trio as they ate around upon a circular table. While empty green bottles littered the single vice-whatevers, the future fiancé drank slowly at his club soda. Since drinking was temporarily banned for him, he looked away from alcohol. At least meat was always a delicious alternative as he pushed around slices of cut pork upon the center grilling plate.

"What if… What if I die alone?"

Drunk off her ass, Dana boomed, "You will!"

"Fuck you," snarled Judas, before violently swiveling to Dune. In doing so, he almost fell out of his plastic seat. "Dune! What'd you think?"

What he was really thinking is he wanted to go home and curl next to Claude in their soft, quiet apartment. What he registered was he wasn't, he couldn't, and so he had to bullshit to Judas, "You know Claude and I are quite young for our age to be engaged. You have your whole life to find someone you think is the one, and that's all there is to it."

"I know the—her! Du-the one!" Dune only smiled civilly, and Dana was sniggering to herself as she picked up a piece of pork. "Dana, you weren't there so you have no fucking idea how it's like… destiny or some shit… with—"

"Your secretary?" There was a moment as she popped the pork into her mouth, chewed, then pointed at Judas with her chopsticks. "You have cliché written all over you, _Vice_ _Prez_."

As though she was another alpha wolf, Judas darkened his snarl toward her and slammed down his empty glass. This meant for another, although bored, wolf to back him up. "Dune! You were there, remember?"

Moving around half-burnt pork, he sighed. "Regrettably."

"Did or did not my current secretary approach me first, and asked me a question that would further prolong our relationship… First?"

This had to be the hundredth time Dana heard this, but she was too wasted to put up with retelling number one hundred. Pointing at Judas, she sighed, "You're looking at this all wrong, you idiot. Eunbidan-ssi made the right move to approach your ass and ask for a job." Though what she said was remotely funny, Dana was laughing off her next punchline. "In this economy, all she had to do was approach a schmuck, and ask for a job to a loser who couldn't keep his eyes straight on hers."

"I'm sorry, I drop—" Dune bent over to the floor and hid a small chuckle as Dana unashamedly boomed in laughter over him. Too furious to reply, Judas simply fumed and downed a new bottle. Suddenly, Dune was up and whacked the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Judas, she didn't mean that."

His hand gripping her arm closely, Dana cleared her throat. "Not all of it."

"Whatever you guys…" Two spots of pink lingered on his cheeks, which may or may not be from the alcohol. As he poured from another emerald-green bottle, Judas awkwardly admitted, "I know it's more than a cliché. So don't be too surprised if Eunbidan takes my confession seriously and we will get married and we're gonna have tons of the most beautiful babies—"

Abruptly rising out of their seats, Dune and Dana reached over to clamp clammy hands over his mouth. "Stop, stop, stop it, stop—shut up!"

After shoving aside both of them. Judas faced Dana and demanded, "What about you then?"

The world was becoming much too blurry for her. "Wha… What about me?"

"Are you going to die alone?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Haha! Hah… Hmm." She rubbed her flushing face, before stealing the shot glass Judas poured. Her whole head was whirling now and her loose ponytail swept from side to side. Voice low, she admitted as well, "That's fine… Nothing's wrong with being alone! I… Unlike you… I've gotten a lot, a looot, a-a looooootta confessions so… I know I'm okay with being alone, you know?"

"Nothing's wrong with that," Dune agreed, looking to Judas.

If that was an intentional jab toward him, Judas was ignoring it. "She can do that. I'm not doing that. I know Eunbidan is the one," he huffed, paused, and then hurried for the restroom.

As the Vice President expired the content of his insides, Dune worried for Dana and stopped her from pouring another bottle. "Hey," he called gently, and pulled her out of her seat. "That's enough. I'll drive the both of you back. You need to go home and get some rest."

Although her judgement was cloudy, Dana could always trust Dune to act. Fully trusting him, she drifted off as Dune and a somewhat less drunk Judas dragged her to the car, and she still was in dreamland as they clicked her in and drove. However, as she was the first one off, Judas volunteered to escort her as he was well aware of how exhausting this was for Dune. Though he was the only one sober, Dune agreed and thoughtfully watched Judas half-hauling her to the third floor.

"Hey, deadweight, hurry up and wake up already," Judas whispered, attempting to shake Dana awake. That resulted onto her head lolled onto his shoulder. "How the fuck am I supposed to open—"

The door swung open, barely missing Judas' nose by an inch, and someone called out, "Is that you, Da—oh."

Blatantly, Judas stared up and down at a boy in blue. "Who the fuck're you?" He looked past blue boy's shoulder and visually affirmed this was Dana's single apartment. "What're you doing in Dana's place?"

At first, blue boy's expression would be something like fear, but then he smiled like he knew Judas for ages. "I'm a neighbor of Dana's. I'm in her house because she gave me a key for when she's out for a long time. Apparently, SPOON has a dorm for overtired heroes, don't they?"

Honestly, Judas didn't know if SPOON had that, but he played along anyway. "Yeah, she uses those from time to time, but she's been here for the last couple days so what're you doing now?"

"Oh! Didn't you know? She has someone interested in her," blue boy revealed, and opened the door completely to reveal the masses of flowerpots taking every inch of space near the windows. As if he already trusted Judas with secret-keeping, blue boy leaned in and said, "She's doing a terrible job watering them, so I've been helping her since she really, really wants to keep them all alive."

Betrayal overtook Judas' countenance. Speaking to her sleeping self, he mouthed, "You fucking liar." Disgusted, he stepped back as blue boy carried her instead, although a slight too eagerly. Not noticing, Judas thought she would be fine if this pale, weak-looking kid with an interest in gardening would watch over her. He even warned, "Careful, she's sleeping off the alcohol so no loud noises or abrupt actions."

Blue boy's smile could fool an angel to sign with a demon. "Dana will be safe with me."

Since that was the end of it, Judas slipped his hands in his pockets and turned to leave, but not before blue boy called out, "Hey!" The vice-president thought that Dana might've left her actual key or something. "Do you like sharks?"

"…What the fuck?"

That gained low laughter from blue boy but before he closed the door, he released one final piece of information, "My name is Osu!"

—


	7. just wanna be yours

**a/n:** for once, i had to draft this chapter over and over, but i think this one is aight. if you like osudana (idk why u reading this then) then this is the chpt for you! i think after the next two chpts, it's gonna be more familiar to canon... or pre-canon idwtkoh idk!

i love my beta Eternal Nocturne :*

* * *

 **.**

 **7\. just wanna be yours**

 **.**

It took Judas approximately nine minutes to drop off Dana, not that Dune was keeping count. His arm outside the driver's open window, he tapped the ashy end of his cigarette. Just as he placed it between his teeth, Judas entered from the passenger side and buckled himself in. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned to Dune and questioned, "You know a guy named Osu?"

Dune swiveled in his seat. Disturbed, Judas glared. Smoke escaped from Dune's parted lips before he said, "Sounds familiar." Despite that, he took another minute to think. "I don't know. Why?"

"I found him in her house." Of course, Dune would freak out, but Judas stopped him by explaining himself, "Wait. he said he was Dana's neighbor, and that she gave him a house key. Cause, you would know she sleeps over at work?"

Dune thought about it. "At the dorms, yeah."

This was a persuasion effort for Dune, but a bit for Judas himself as he commented, "Anyway, Osu looks like an alright guy. He's into gardening apparently…" Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and tried to describe helpfully to Dune, "He's this pale kid, kinda on the shorter side, and I'm sure he can't do any harm Dana even if she's out, like he's tiny and weak like he'd look like if I breathed on him, he'd probably—"

"I got it, I got it," groaned Dune, placing the car into drive. His foot was unmoved upon the brake as he gave an upward glance at the apartments. "Hmm."

Frowning, Judas followed the end of his gaze. A moment later, his hand was on the door handle. "You think I should make sure?"

They shared a look. Though telepathy wasn't a thing for either of them, they both squinted their eyes in thought, before returning their stares to the front. "This is Dana we're talking about." As Dune eased off the pedal, he shrugged and spoke for the both of them, "I'm sure she'll be fine."

 **.**

With a gentle click of the door, blue boy turned to the Vice Chief. There wasn't anything presentable about her. Alcohol lingered strongly off her like perfume, her ponytail was hazardously, halfway freed, and she dozed off with her head rolled back.

Seeing how uncomfortable that was, blue boy tried to move her to the bedroom. Strength was an issue for him as he could barely tug her through the living room. After a good five minutes, he took a break against her bedroom door. Gingerly, he set her sleeping figure against the opposite wall and just barely tapped her arm.

Since those didn't work, he called for her, "Dana-ssi? Can you wake up?"

Soft, but surely, he heard her mumble, "Whmat."

Before he could answer, her head rolled back again and thumped against the wall followed by pained hiss. Then she gave up, just sprawling lazily across the wooden floorboards. The scene of it all made blue boy laugh to himself before he kneeled beside her.

One hand upon his knees, he tapped her cheek, harder this time. "Dana-ssi? Dana-ssi, are you awake?" Again and again, his single fingertip pressed into her skin until he felt the cushioned outline of her teeth. Probably not a good thing to wake her up like that. Head tilted, he raised his tone of voice a decibel and told her, "Dana-ssi. You're supposed to be in bed. Wake up, please?"

Sometimes magic words existed for a reason when she suddenly groaned for several seconds before heaving herself to a stand. It was blue boy's request so he looped his arm around her waist. Dana was too sleep-inebriated to care as he half-carried her to her bedroom.

Not that he expected anything stereotypical, but blue boy was amazed at how there really wasn't anything special about her room. Just common furniture and a common layout of how a Vice Chief hero should be living. Though the pink heart-patterned blanket made him crack another smile as he settled her down on top. At once, she threw off her jacket, undid her tie and the buttons of her shirt, and tossed the tie to him. When he caught it fumblingly, Dana turned away and folded the blanket around herself like a human lettuce wrap.

Even after all that, Dana didn't say anything. Understandingly, sleep was the foremost priority. Knowing that, blue boy took a seat beside her with one leg dangling off the side. His fingers wrapping around his ankle, he peered into her peaceful profile. So serene, liked nothing he'd dream of seeing.

Sitting up straight, he still stared at her as he said, "Dana-ssi."

Surprise, surprise. "What?"

"I'm leaving."

"Get out."

The weight of the bed shifted significantly. "I'll lock the front door on my way out."

Like her mom, he reached over to tuck the blanket just below her nose, walked quietly over to the lights, set it to the dimmest level, and minimized the door's squeaking upon his exit. Just before the door closed, there was a clear "stop" from within.

It fell on blue boy's ears. The door creaking a centimeter apart, a blue eye peeked from the crack. "Yes?"

A moment passed—he thought she returned to sleep—, but then she mumbled, "If ya wanna…" There was a pause before she tugged the blanket down, and mumbled, "… my mom made too many side dishes… Take."

A sort of discontent washed over him. In face of crushing disappointment, blue boy smiled and replied, "It's okay. Your refrigerator could use some… food? Haha. Thank you though."

With that, her bedroom door was closed with a considerate click.

It was ideally quiet then. Dana could fall asleep in a wink, but she hung on to his soft footsteps, eventually straying far enough. As expected, there was the muffled click of the front door. This meant that she was free to drift off, however, there came an intrusive thought. Although Dana was frustratingly heavy-eyed, she found herself staring into the darkness like an insomniac.

Taking her blanket with her, Dana forced herself to leave her bed and bedroom. The living room was left to a dim so it was easy on her eyes as she made her way across to the kitchen. Finally, the intrusive thought faded away when she opened her fridge.

On the second shelf were all the homemade side dishes her mother dutifully made for her daughter. Dana glared at all the food. Blue boy really didn't take any, but had he left one?

Upon the third shelf was an elegant white box. Lifting it, Dana stuttered, "Th-the hell?"

She shifted the box under her arm as she hurried to the front door, undid the locks, and popped it open. Maybe it was the sleep or the alcohol, but she didn't flinch when a blue body collapsed onto her shoe pile. Pink in the face, he craned his head skyward as she asked in a mumble, "Wha's this?"

With some dignity, blue boy rose to a stand and dusted off his robes. "Did you find that in the refrigerator?" Confusion still contorted her mostly drowsy expression. Why she was up, blue boy would've loved to know. "Dana-ssi, you should go back to sleep."

Slowly, her eyes shut together. Even slower, her right hand dipped into the box, touching the confectionary inside, before she realized, "Ca…ke?"

Seeing that she couldn't see, blue boy kneeled before her like moments before. Delicately, his hands met hers upon the box before he lifted the cake from its case. Much closer than it should be, he raised it higher for Dana. She wasn't prepared to open her eyes for the next eight hours, so blue boy touched her temple, tilting her head downward.

His lips at her ear, he interrupted the dream-train from leaving, "Look."

In loopy script across white frosting, there was a very evident _Happy Birthday!_

She blanked. "Can't read." The right response when his reaction was to burst into childlike laughter. "Fancy-lookin' I think… My mom wouldn't give me this. So it has to be—"

"You should work as a police detective, Dana-ssi."

"Shut up," she hissed. A dull ache pounded from her temple, and her teeth gritted. "Yours?"

Something like apprehension replaced his sudden delight. "It is, but it hardly matters."

"It-it… does matt-eerrrrrrr…" Her eyes snapped shut again and she groaned, toppling against his shoulder. Cake smeared across her front, a bit on his as well. Blue boy didn't move as she struggled to sit up, before bumping her forehead against him. She could see now and groaned, " _Fuck_."

Another burst of laughter, which Dana was annoyed that he found amusement at her sake. Tears even dotted the corner of his squinty stare, but whatever. She had more pressing matters, like her love-hate relationship with sleep and cake shit on her hand and clothes. Eyes closed again, she muttered, "Gotta make cake."

Blue boy blanched. "Now? Why?"

Somehow astounded, Dana retorted, "Are… Are you blind?" The cake was shoved in his direction. Yes, he could see that she fell partly on top of it, pointedly on accident, but, no, that was hardly reason to make one. "I-I messed it up—a-and it's a real _nice_ cake—so I have to… Why'm I explaining?"

Moving with the coordination of a newborn deer, Dana staggered toward the front door. The fact that her half-ponytailed hair was rumpled and that her shirt was significantly stained didn't bother her as she swung the door open. Mouth open, blue boy left the cake on the floor, before grabbing her by the end of her blanket.

"What?" she spat, exasperated.

"Dana-ssi," blue boy always began, "where are you going?"

Now, she stared at him as if she'd told him before. "To buy cake-make-stuff."

"Cake-make-stuff?"

When he repeated what she said, it sounded a lot dumber. But thanks to drunken confidence, Dana retorted humorlessly, " _Yeah_."

All of the hope in the world wouldn't be enough to dissuade her. Blue boy let her blanket go. "Alright then." She scoffed, knowing that the battle was easily won, before he added on, "I wonder what market would be open right now to sell cake-make-stuff this late at night?"

Though she was sleepy-drunk, even Dana would know the answer. A hand pinching between her eyes, she swore, "Shit.

"Oh but!" hinted blue boy. "I think I know a place."

Somehow, this sounded like a trick, which Dana immediately was on-guard. "…Where?"

"Honestly, if I tell you, I'll put myself in danger."

"Where?" she repeated.

Seemed like there was no helping it. He shrugged and told her, "I can't tell you, but I can guarantee your safety." Since she knew of its risks, Dana was trying not to let the alcohol screw her judgment, but he had to tack on, "You're free to take me down if my word is wrong."

"Let's go."

With that, Dana yanked her heart-dotted blanket closer, and pushed blue boy out the door. He was puzzled in absolute silence, but then Dana eventually stepped out in a clean shirt. The blanket covered it, however, covering her upper body like a life-size scarf. He wasn't there to judge as he had to follow like a babysitter all up in blue. A hand to her mouth, she smirked against her palm and almost ran into a brick wall.

That went noticed by blue boy.

Instead of ridiculing her, he held out his hand. Seeing that, Dana wished he just laughed at her. But then somehow she got the idea to one-up him by offering her elbow. Of course, blue boy would take the opportunity and wound his hands around her arm. Since her mind was too hazy to think any further, Dana allowed it just until her phone rang.

"Go ahead," she told him as she checked the ID. _Obnoxious Loser_. "I'm right behind you."

When she heard a growly greeting, she shouted, "Asshole!" At once, blue boy turned to her and witnessed her crying, "—call me now? I'm dying, and it's thanks—"

" _DANA_ —"

"Kidding, hahaha!"

"DANA, I swear the next time I see you, you'd wish you'd be dead."

The worried rise of Judas' voice was enough to send Dana into a satisfied smirk. Although she toned it down within blue boy's presence, and wiped at the corner of her eyes. "Relax. I'm still sorta buzzed so. But I'm fine! Sorry if you pissed yourself." His grumbling was funny to hear since it partly dawned on her that Judas left her alone to blue boy. Who was making sure their distance wasn't too far apart. "Is that all you called for?"

"No. Let me talk to him!"

"Talk to who?"

"To your neighbor!"

"I don't know my neighbors."

An under-the-breath explicative reached her ears. "Moron, that's exactly why I should've—fucking shit—stay right there and I'll go fuck up emerald city dude!"

"What?"

"His name, his name is Os—"

"Dana-ssi, watch out!"

To Dana's knowledge, a brick wall came out of nowhere and whacked the phone out of her hand. Although blue boy could've used to opportunity to walk side-by-side again, instead he watched helplessly as her phone bounced several feet away. Before either he or she could retrieve it, a speeding truck passed by them and left internal phone guts among the asphalt.

Ten minutes later, she realized, "My… my phone."

Sympathetic, blue boy did take the busy Vice Chief by her elbow. But only to lead her away from the scene of the crime and toward their destination in somber silence. A lot of time had to pass before Dana accepted it wasn't her fault at all and spoke up, "Are we here?"

"No, no, not yet." Adamant, blue boy placed himself between Dana and an unlit pharmacy. Wherever they were must relate to his villain business. "I'll have to ask you to blind yourself."

It was dark, but not dark enough to hide a wide grin from Dana. "Keep ya promise?"

He nodded. "I gave you my word."

So he might have. As if she didn't look like a fool already, Dana threw the blanket from her body before it drifted on top of herself. Like a sort of Valentine's ghost. Blue boy didn't know if that existed, but he couldn't keep himself from staring anyhow.

"Um, alright then… Let's go." His hand clasped in her elbow, he guided her carefully. To her disbelief, he was dragging her not toward the pharmacy but dead-straight ahead. This was fine. Seventeen minutes, it seemed to walk from her apartment to the unknown, an automatic door. Some stairs too, down it positively had to be going, before blue boy tugged the blanket down and he declared, "Here we are."

Wherever they were, this underground mansion was an impossibly vast living expanse, which Dana estimated to be at least thrice the area of her own apartment. Somehow, there was a minimum amount of weird-looking furniture, which she supposed was all the rage, but all of this screamed filthy rich.

To think, villains were living it up.

A million feet away, blue boy shouted, "Over here!"

Keeping her hand between Josean-era like paintings, Dana hurried to the kitchen where blue boy was seated upon marble counters. He spoke up just as she entered, "I think everything for cake-make-stuff should be here."

He might be right, but Dana crossed her arms from uncertainty and had to look to him for once. "I forgot what goes in cake." Why she had to look so pissed when she said that, blue boy didn't care as he was laughing. That was no help. But her hands rubbing her temples did quite a bit as she listed off, "Milk, eggs, sugar, flour… What kinda cake…"

"Vanilla."

"Vanilla…?"

Helpful now, blue boy retrieved his phone from his pocket. "I'll check if we're missing anything, and you'll look for what we know?"

A sound plan, according to Dana. "Cool, where's flour and sugar?" He pointed to one cabinet, and he was right. After setting those next to his thighs, Dana listened to him call out for baking powder, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract as well. The fridge was organized enough that she found the milk and eggs as well. "Oh! _Hell yeah!_ "

Curious, blue boy stretched his neck to see, but Dana showed him anyway. Emerald-green bottles in both hands. He just laughed, "Dana-ssi, haven't you had enough?"

"But not with you?"

It was endearing to the point that he'd do it. With a condition that he pointed out, "I'll have some when the cake is done."

So he was of alcohol-drinking age, despite his child-like appearance. Dana shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Get some butter too."

"Oh, right!" Dana pulled out frosting as well before planting them in the cake-make pile. "How'd we do this?"

Glancing down at the pile, blue boy then slid off the counter with his phone. "Don't forgot the cooking utensils, Dana-ssi," he reminded and began his own search as well. Much faster than she was, and in good reason, he even handed her a puppy apron before standing before their complete cake-make-stuff. A kitten apron donned, he asked, "Are you prepared?"

Blue boy was smiling as she popped open a new bottle and poured in a shot glass. There wasn't a better mood to bake than drunker than drunk when she casted him a giddy grin and answered, " _Yeah_."

Nothing should go wrong since he was there. "I'll preheat the oven and prepare the pans—"

"Three layers."

"Excuse me?"

"I want," she enunciated, spreading her hands for emphasis. "I want a three-layered cake."

Blue boy thought about it. "That sounds doable, I think. Alright, three layers it is." He set out more pans before asking her, "Do you want to mix?"

In the middle of redoing her ponytail, she snorted. "Do I wanna—I don't— _Yeah_."

"Let's go."

For the both of them, he set his phone between them. Not that he didn't expect this, but Drunk(er) Dana wasn't as dangerous as he assumed her to be. Though he did catch her drinking in the middle of this, there was still the Dana with optimal hand-eye coordination. Bearing as witness to it all spread amazement upon blue boy's expression. She didn't spill shit, break shit, or make shit, evident as he checked the completed batter.

Removing his finger from his mouth, blue boy nodded. "It's really good."

Red eyes just went so well with the flush of intoxication and maybe compliments. "Really? You mean it?" Again, his head bobbed but he looked away. Red eyes, a fervent flush, and a rare smile were a triple threat to be reckoned with. Oblivious, Dana poured the mix into separate pans and remarked, "Wow… I've never made something beyond good…"

"It's really, _really_ good."

"You're joking now." She rolled her eyes as he fit the pans into the oven.

As Dana peered into the bottom of a green bottle, blue boy advised, "Thirty-five minutes and it should be ready."

"Cool," she said. "I meant to ask: whose recipe is this?"

At once, blue boy closed out of the website of a white-haired, white-winged blogger, and shrugged. "Good question."

Lucky for him, she let that go in favor of discovering her surroundings. "You really live here?"

Blue boy was glad to steer the conversation away and suggested, "Would you like a tour?"

Dana agreed, for the sake of SPOON and perhaps her, but it didn't matter. After the first location, which was that strangely intimidating living room, blue boy had the audacity to lead her to his room. There didn't appear to be any ulterior motives, though it was of little importance. She was falling for the very center of his room.

Again, that didn't go past blue boy. "Do you… Um, do you wish to sit down?"

Rather than answering, Dana slowly made her way to the circular bed. Soft, impossibly silk-velvet-satin-chiffon, whatever it was, she was convinced this was what dreams were literally made of. Trying not to be obvious, she caught whiffs of different scents.

Unsure, she picked up a pillow and held it to her nose. "Hmm."

"What is it?" Blue boy asked, but she knew what his question meant.

Again, she sniffed, her gaze narrowing in concentration. "I think it's…" Then she held it away and closed her eyes. "It's lavender, rosemary and…"

He finished her thought, "Thyme."

Her eyes parted, slow. "Right." Still tightened together, she stared at blue boy. "You put herbs in your pillows?"

His shoulders lifted then dropped, just as slow. "Why not? Here, lay down." Instantly, she stiffened, but blue boy nudged her down. Noticeable, her arms tightened around the pillow she already had. He was careful to pile pillows onto her as he listed off, "That's scented germaniums. Those to your left are peppermint and pineapple sage. Nearest your head is lemon balm."

Among all of this, blue boy had a point. Not only did it smell nice in a mediating, mood-chilling kind of way, but her drowsiness had tenfolded. Obvious now, Dana closed her eyes as she called out, "Hey?"

"Yes, Dana-ssi?"

"Do we have… those frosting thingies… to decorate?"

"Hmm." She heard the soft sound of his weight lifting. "Let me check."

Of course, Dana didn't give a shit when the second after he left her alone, she conked out.

 **.**

"Dana!"

"Huh?" When her eyes opened, she saw a mirrored reflection of herself. But it was even better that she could reach out and touch reflected-her arm. Cool. "…Cool."

Violently almost, Mirror-Dana grabbed her and almost throttled her about. "Dana, get a grip on yourself!" Real-Dana's head rolled back, which meant she saw her surroundings. A slight purple, mostly green glade filled with lavender, scented germaniums, and peppermint. Weird how this wasn't a bedroom or indoors at all. "I know you're drunk and you're sleepy, but you're asleep now!"

Slow, she realized, "A dream?"

"Listen to me," Mirror-Dana demanded, her voice hardening like steel. "When you wake up, you gotta do something. Anything, I'm telling you, you're dead-right center in the base of The Villain. You may be surrounded by evidence for all you know, and all you have to do is find it."

The lethargy was obvious in her repetition, "Find it…"

"Dana, if you don't find a lick of evidence…"

"If I," she repeated, her gaze matching her mirror and narrowing, "Dana, don't find it…"

"…you might as well get used to being like this, dumbass."

 **.**

As Dana woke up, her upper body slowly straightened. Blinking, she responded in a hard voice, "Like hell I will."

Pillow after pillow spilled onto the bed and floor when she stood. Her brow was pointedly furrowed but as she took a step forward, she mused to herself, "Am I supposed to do something?" A moment passed as she scratched her disheveled ponytail. "Hmm. Whatever. I need to use the bathroom."

Following her rich-people mentality, Dana knew blue boy would have a bedroom and bathroom combo. However, there were three doors in his room so she just picked the middle one. Though she twisted the doorknob, she found it locked and cocked her head. A notch added to her strength usage, Dana tried again before finding the lock broken.

"Ah well," she yawned, and strolled right on in. Dark. Yawning again, she touched a wall pad as the room enveloped with yellow light. "An office?"

There was a modest-sized, wooden desk in center, which had to be most significant. Unintelligible papers were strewn on one side and organized neatly on the other. Since messing with organized papers was a recipe for disaster, Dana fingered through the paper mess until realizing there was a neatly opened envelope upon the center desk.

Nosiness wasn't like Dana, actually in opposite as she normally doesn't care about others' business. In this case, she had to delve into blue boy's issues. Holding one of those heavy rich-people card, the hero read through carefully, then she skimmed— _commemorate your twenty-fourth year_ — _bid you another year of good health—improving significantly? Your mother worries—to Cheonghwa, incompetent twins are nothing—hell-bent on disappointing your own—_

Eyes focused anywhere else, Dana slammed the card down. She didn't know. A tiny paper could contain such a mountain of familial problems that she should have no part in. Though it made sense now that the cake wasn't for her as she turned twenty-one months ago.

Shaking her head, her focused returned onto the paper mess of bills, useless letters from useless people, and some sort of party order—

At once, the nerves in Dana's brain electrified as she raised the paper closer. The order was like a receipt for the merchant's side, the order of a party-sized package for the Oz, the client's name was familiar to a big-name corporate kid, but most notably, the date and time were there.

Slow, the Vice Chief did her hero duty to pocket the paper. But then the date was two weeks from now. The alcohol was drawing inconvenient headaches, but the hero endured as she thought about it. Within two weeks, blue boy would notice. Therefore, she couldn't take the paper when she needed those two weeks for Lila to gain their trust. What else? Her phone just had to be destroyed; therefore, she couldn't take a picture. What else?

In blessed light, a fountain pen was in view. To not risk other missing papers, her sticky-note had to be the bared skin of her arm.

After hurriedly writing down the details, Dana popped the cap on, threw the pen and the paper down, rolled up her sleeve, and zipped out of the room. But just when she closed the door, she remembered the stupid light and heard him coming to his room. Gritting her teeth, Dana swung the door open and turned off the light in good time.

When blue boy entered, he froze in sight of her.

Dana needed a moment to feign surprise as she turned around to him. Also she forced some sort of sleepiness to cloud her incredulity and fake-asked, "Is this the bathroom?"

Guarded, he replied, "The door was locked."

With a flick of her wrist, the door was detached, hanging from Dana's fist. "So?"

Blue boy peered past her body, and saw for himself that the inside of the room was blanketed with darkness. His shoulders not as stiffened, he smiled, "It's the one on the right."

Within the sanctuary of a bathroom, Dana sat upon the edge of a claw-footed bathtub. A hand over her mouth, a couple breaths warmed her fingers as she calmed her wildly beating heart. Fear wasn't a big emotion on her, but getting caught wrecked her the same.

After flushing down nothing and washing nothing, she returned to blue boy's bedroom and him, who reminded her, "The cake is ready."

She dodged a bullet there as blue boy filled her in that cake-decorating was next. The idea of decorating cake with more sweet shit didn't sound that much fun to Dana. But blue boy put in so much effort, finding and even prepared piping nozzles in a rainbow assortment of colors. First, they had to stack three layers of cake-bread and cake them with white frosting.

In the middle of doing so, Dana coughed. "So you buy cakes often for yourself?"

He stopped in mid-frost. "Why do you ask?"

"Why'd you wanna know?"

"…Alright." Another loss for blue boy. "If you must know, I was going to enjoy it with my guardians, you know the white twins. They canceled however, so I wondered if you liked cake and waited for you."

"Cake isn't that great."

"Oh. I wish I was informed beforehand."

The first layer was finished and Dana skipped his layer for the third. "So you were gonna… eat cake with me?"

"I was. It doesn't matter though," he shrugged, his eyes lowered.

Maybe she had sixth sight sense, but there was some sadass gray lingered about him. Dana didn't know what that even meant, but all this just made sense to her. As she leaned in just a tad, she analyzed his focused expression. He looked the same, albeit a little livelier. What the hell did that mean now?

"What does what mean?" piped up blue boy, still fixated with the second layer.

She blanked. "That's done. Help me with the top."

Their duo effort was in silence, though as soon it ended, Dana exclaimed, "Done!"

The cake looked like an authentic fancy cake. Which was pretty amazing since she made like one cake before in her entire lifetime. Fulfillment was swelling in her chest when the cake that she half-ruined looked like shit in compare to hers. And his, but it was Dana's idea so ninety-five percent her cake.

Blue boy snickered. "Ninety-five percent?"

So a drunken habit of hers must be saying shit aloud. She smiled, biting down her tongue, before replying, "It looks ninety-five percent good."

"What about that five percent?"

Dana rolled her eyes and held up a piping nozzle in red, "Decorating should cover it." With that, she effortlessly swirled a red rose on top. Blue boy was impressed. "Liked that? I learned that shit from the Internet.

As she created more roses, blue boy watched her handiwork with eagle eyes. With an audience, Dana was tempted to show off, but she drew the line somewhere. When she was done, a circlet of flowers bordered the top layer, leaving a bare center.

"Very nice," he commented. Trying not to let that get to her, Dana grinned away. "Could I try?"

"Yah. Hey, where's the bathroom?"

He blinked. "Again?" Then his fingertips touched his mouth. "That's right, you have drunk a bit tonight. It's the door on the left back there."

Ten minutes later after using the bathroom for real, Dana returned to the kitchen. A pink nozzle in hand, blue boy was the one grinning greatly. The last two layers of cake was three-leveled garden of rainbow roses. He really went all out. Taking a step back, Dana was the one impressed as she circled around the counter, carefully scrutinizing the abundance of floral confectionary.

A hand across his perspiring forehead, blue boy beamed. "What do you think?"

She crossed her arms and went with, "Wow. Almost looks good enough not to eat."

"Almost," he agreed.

"You have a dining table, right?" Blue boy didn't know what rich-people mentality she disillusioned in her head, but he told her where. "I'm gonna set it up, so can you like grab plates and shit?" He nodded just as she added on, "Don't forgot, you said you're gonna drink with me!"

Caution as her priority, Dana then ran to where the dining table was. In that same minute, she plopped into a chair before hurriedly decorating with a black nozzle, the best color. That wasted thirty seconds as the hurry ruined her first attempt, before she swiped it off for attempt two. The second minute consisted of planting down two lone candles and, careful now, lighting a match.

Perfect.

A moment after she carried it with both arms—it was a good looking cake and a slight heavy one—, blue boy entered with glass plates and forks in one handle, and alcohol in the other. Though he was caught completely by surprise, he only dropped the glass bottle.

"Dammit," swore Dana under her breath before declaring, "Happy birthday!"

Pale, or he always was, blue boy stammered, "I-I… You could rea—could not… Read?"

At the height of pride for oneself, Dana shrugged. "There's only _one_ reason you'd put writing on cake." As if she'd tell him the truth of trespassing into his office and confirming his birthday through a personal birthday card. Ignoring her almost mistake, she chuckled, "Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

Dana thought there was too much emotion upon his face that he was gonna cry. So he did, but not only that, he dropped the plates. Shards of glass littered around them, and Dana was at a loss. So she took a step forward, attempting to think of something to say. There wasn't enough time when he forwarded her, but she'd seen it coming and dropped the cake. Mushy bread joined the muddle of alcohol and glass, which looked as horrible as it sounded.

It took a moment for her to say, "I'll clean it." Lowering to a kneel, she didn't know where to start with this mess, but she knew even less with the one before her. "I got this—"

"Dana-ssi."

All too expectantly, his arms wound around her lower back and his head plopped against her collarbone. In her head, there was nothing that she had done to warrant this behavior, but here she was. "Sorry… I'm so sorry…" Dana froze, unable to register the weight of one dependent upon her. Though she could feel his words leaving his lips. "Just… Please allow me this… Just for a little while…"

Even though this was far too kind for a hero, even though this was not to end well, Dana plopped her head against his and she hugged back. It was unusually awkward for her when he didn't cry or anything. To some extent, her head turned painstakingly and he was so soft and tinier as of this moment. Somehow, her train of thought went off the rails; he was like those life-size teddy bears at festivals or somewhere, blue was supposed to be a color of keeping one awake, he had a scent like herbs stuffed in a plethora of pillows, very, very…

When blue boy finally pried himself apart, he found that he couldn't for the Vice Chief of heroes had fallen asleep. Again.

—


	8. play all you want before you come to me

**a/n:** omggg sorry for the wait! yes non-romantic plot is here and we're at about the first pinnacle of The Case so should be kinda interesting? also something said was very foreshadowing but i can't point it out, or else…

much thank to Siena for her wonderful comments, and to my wonderful beta, Eternal Nocturne; i love them so much

* * *

 **.**

 **8\. play all you want before you come to me**

 **.**

In her just-a-bit-over-one-yearlong-employment as a hero, Dana had to hand it to herself that the Oz was the _most_ handled case. Blue boy didn't suspect a thing as he was currently mingling in dubious tea-craft in her apartment. Across from him, she slouched back with an annoyed-than-usual glower fixating between her paperwork and his presence. The two together was a frequent moment, but if she had to play by his cards, then so be it. In the end, it didn't matter. Dana was personally locking him behind bars by the following midnight, even if it killed her.

Two weeks couldn't pass fast enough.

A veiny hand raking back her bangs, Dana ignored a teacup tapping in front of her. Steams of amaranth and jasmine slowly wafted to her angled face. Which was supposed to be stress-reducing, but Dana could argue. A hand masking her mouth, she spilled her papers atop the table and snapped, "Why're you here again?"

He didn't have to answer, yet he did. "You're pretty preoccupied these recent days. I thought you would appreciate the company, what with the stressful field you're in," he murmured. Seemed more like an obligation, Dana suspected. "I think I've done some good for you."

Without glancing up from her work, she rolled her eyes. "I don't."

Blue boy shrugged. "Regardless, I'm here to stay. Being with you is interesting," he admitted with a somewhat shy gaze. She glowered. "Dana-ssi, you know what I find most interesting?"

An answer was an invitation for further conversation, so her response was total silence. But that was hardly a social cue for blue boy when he answered his own question, "It's interesting to me that you and me— _we_ —we have been acquainted for a few months now. I'm glad I've learned a great deal about you." He laced his admission with a note of honesty, but Dana hardly cared. To her, she was more fixated with the fact that these self-subjected lessons were all involuntary. "Yet you don't know much about me, much less my name."

Yeah, that was a direct jab toward The Case. Teeth grinding together, Dana imagined learning his name, _alright_ , imbedding every line, every curve one of those some professional lawsuit form when she busted his villain ass. God, the taste of his incineration was so close, like a hint of sweet, sweet satisfaction, and a dollop of the ripest of revenge. However, he had no idea. Teeth braced still, she pushed through to say, "We're keeping it that way."

A frown marred his mouth. "That's unfortunate," he sighed. "I thought we were friends."

 _Impossible. Was that why he was coming here so often?_ A corner of her lip lifted in a bared frown as she said, "Why?"

Whatever he had on his mind, there was no good reason as for why he believed them to be 'friends.' Dana was certain of that. "Well," he started, his arm angled to motion his teacup into a semi-circle, "for one, we're able to have casual conversation without major complications."

As nonchalant as she was, Dana asked, "What'd you mean casual?"

Thoughts clicked behind his lowered eyes, before he answered, "I believe I've only learned a great deal about you when we speak on a neutral basis. It's one thing when you're speaking from your acrimony, but it's another when you sound like—like Dana-ssi." A sliver of a smile touched his gentle expression.

"Next."

"Whenever we're together, you don't try to imprison me so you can call upon your hero friends."

 _Because when I catch you, I'm taking everything you got,_ she had to say with a non-psychic glare, but went with, "Wrong time and place."

"Hmm," he hummed and sipped his tea. Strangely quiet. Must be that far-away look in his eyes, which was almost too indiscernible for Dana to catch. "You're beginning to trust me, Dana-ssi." Before the denial could hit her tongue, blue boy explained, "Yes, I see you're still on edge while I'm around, I understand, but you're less tense now? Look at yourself slouched over your chair with no thought to strike back."

She scoffed at that. "I can't get comfortable in my own house?"

Taunting almost, his head tilted. "Even with me around?"

Not that she didn't expect it, but the moment he leaned in a millimeter, Dana's hand shot out to clamp over his head. Though she could dispose of him with a flick of her fingers, blue boy laughed and lifted a teapot between them. As soon as she released him, he poured his tea with a small comment, "Maybe you're not as relaxed as I thought."

While streams of tea swirled into his cup, Dana crossed her arms and stared into hers, mirroring her fearsome appearance. Tense too, but maybe it was his impending doom that loosened her shoulders. So, in a way, her comfort was due to him, though it had nothing to do with trust.

"I don't trust you," she fired back, then drank her reflection. Kinda shitty, really. "There's not much you can do about that."

"Is that so?"

Maybe there was something stress-reducing about this shit. Like a cloud of calm dripped into her nerves, and a weighty exhale emitted from her. "Yeah."

"Alright," he conceded. His stare leveled before her. "I see you drank your tea?"

"Yeah, it's god-awful. Where'd you get this shit?"

Blue boy blinked, like the wonder in his eyes were obscuring his vision. "I think you trust me even a little bit, Dana-ssi," he threw that out there, but her darkened glare shut that down. Though her animosity didn't last long when she focused back onto her work. Seeing that, he changed the topic, "Got something good?"

Every ounce of self-restraint was wasted upon a single reply, "Confidential."

Unbending hostility hissed in her tone, ran through her veins the longer he held her gaze. Though it looked to Dana that he had a hard time blocking her murderous energy. He couldn't have. A white fist curled on her thigh. Moronic would be her current impression, since he continued to beam happy-rays-of-radiation like she just commented on their affairs as hunky dory. Insane is more befitting. Because blinding himself that these past several months could not— _wouldn't_ especially—erase the fact that, no, they weren't friends, never, when they aligned on different sides.

For a second, his expression darkened in realization, like disappointment dimming. But then he spoke, sounding only like himself, "Are you close to catching the bad guys?"

"Listen," she growled, both hands slamming palms-down upon the table. It was either an attempt for intimidation or an attempt for balance. Either way, his smile remained pleasant toward her. "Don't expect me to rat anything out to a villain."

If this was a cruel reminder of what separated them, it went over blue boy's head. In response, he raised his teacup beyond his lips, closer to Dana. Hers was refilled, though she never meant to try again. "Dana-ssi," he called, keeping up amiable airs. "A toast to a successful result."

Suspicion etched into the edges of her mind, as though he was capable of mind games, but her mind's core was her strong stability. Inward battles were the worst, but Dana played along with him long enough. Her fingers closing around the porcelain curve, she just lifted her cup off the table, and assented, "I'll drink to that."

 **.**

The morning of D-Day, in less than twenty-four hours to go, was the worst. Excitement was her adrenaline, yet shit-like was her morning mood. She had to give her thanks to blue boy, who somehow had the motivation to practice cooking in her apartment. Which she would've refused to touch, until he promised he wouldn't return for three days. She retaliated with three weeks. He was delighted that there was a sliver of wanting him back, but then she bartered for forever, so then—

A coffee tray slid before her. "Hey, Dana," called Dune, scooting her chair back. "Have you gotten any work done?"

Piles of paperwork, including the leftovers from last night, dominated her desktop. "Does it look like I've gotten anything done?" she groaned, and reached for her coffee. More sickened than shocked, Dune watched as she reached what he knew as the salt jar, dump a considerable quantity, before not once stopping to chug it down. Though a hint of confusion sparked her glare. "This is kinda… bad."

Rather than telling her why, he coughed, "Huh."

" _Shit_ , what time's it?" she blurted, and lurched forward. After Dune handed her the desk clock, the papers teetering off the nearest corner were suddenly cradled to her chest. "The meeting for tonight's bust started already, you coming?"

Normally, POT member had cases of their own to worry about, but Dune carried an emotional baggage for Dana. Especially since she walked off without him, but he caught up to her eventually. No one was that surprised to see Dune interfering with Dana's work, especially when The Case involved him in the first place. Though, as he entered the meeting room with Dana busting the door open, others would say he's still in it for her.

Others like Sangjae and Jelina, who were seated on one side of the room. And Doyoung on the opposite, along with two empty chairs. They got along enough that Dune and Dana suspected they were in the middle of gossiping. Their suspicions were proven correct as they took their seats, Jelina started off-topic, "The worst person on the planet came to SPOON."

"Not possible," spat out Dana, pointedly gripping The Case notes.

Adamant, Jelina crossed her arms. "Sorry, Dana, but it's true." Hesitant, Sangjae tugged at the lacey brim of her dress, but she complained, "He's a total ass. He just came up to me and asked me if I lost my parents, like I wasn't in the middle of briefing another case? God, I was going to sting him, but—"

"Speaking of briefing another case," brought up Dune, his hands folded together, "we're here to—"

"He had a black bedhead, am I correct?"

"Yes, Sunbaenim, and these terrible tiny eyes, that'd be perfect for stinging—"

Doyoung pressed his fingers together in a steeple, and replied, "I had the chance of acquainting him. He doesn't sound as discourteous as you make him out to be. Although I'm only glad he will not be taking place as SPOON's most attractive—"

At once, Jelina and Dune were roasting their senior as Sangjae heard Dana's inward apprehensions. Even though distractions surrounded the Vice Chief, she appeared to be more troubled by the odd chance The Case would fail. She couldn't when she dedicated too much of her own time and effort into its succession. But the probability of that rose as their teammates couldn't agree with an irrelevant subject even now.

"—don't even think of replacing me as the face of SPOON until the day I die."

"That may not be too far off in the future," Dune objected. An old grudge with Doyoung resurfaced, ever since the night that screwed up Dana. "Seeing that you're nearing the elderly stage, Sunbaenim."

Snorting, Sangjae had to intercede, "Fifties isn't that old."

"No, no, late forties is not that old," corrected Doyoung. "As for you, Dune, how dare you get engaged before your sunbae?"

Maybe the team just cared more about each other than their work. There wasn't a better instance for that as Sangjae's jaw dropped, Jelina also Dune with her hands on her hips and gushed, "That's right! That loser finally proposed?"

Though Sangjae gasped for a different reason, pointing out, "You're going out with Snow-sunbae?"

Maybe she was more prone to distractions as well when Dana realized, "What the fuck? Wasn't Claude proposing?"

Accusatory stares, mostly Dana and Jelina, judged Dune as he scrambled to say, "No! What Sangjae said wasn't related to me! I am related to Claude but—"

"I'm the one dating Snow-sunbae," corrected Doyoung. A blizzard of papers smacked his face, to which he understood many heroes were protective of them. "Though I am certain of our intentions to be marriage, if I am mistaken, then the lot of you are free to kick my ass." The room resounded with an unusual unity, so Doyoung muttered, "The complications of being SPOON's most attractive hero." Again, the room resounded, but with a disgruntled groan.

At this point, it was fair to think the Vice Chief divert everyone's attention back to The Case. As their leader, Dana turned to Dune and marveled, "When did you get engaged?"

 **.**

The afternoon of D-Day was the worst as for one, the morning meeting didn't center around The Case at all. That was fine, as Dana could go over the plan as much as necessary, but success wasn't based upon her effort alone. There were others, like the undercover POT hero who was a little more handsy for a professional. Thankfully, Dune was here too. His purpose though was more or less to save Dana's decency from crumbling to complete shit.

"One more time," insisted Dune, nudging Lila from reaching across to Dana. "In case we missed any details."

The blueprints of the location's bust were covered with The Plan's pile with the margins scribbled with red ink. As these were blue boy's actual incarnation sheets, Dana's hands sprawled upon instructions she practically branded to memory. "Lila-ssi, you'll be infiltrating first. Thanks to my anonymous tip," she coughed, "I know the date, time, and location of the bust."

"Are you certain that you couldn't trace that anon's call?" inquired Dune.

Again, she coughed with a furtive nod, before looking over to Lila. "And from that, Lila-ssi was 'accidentally' confronted as a dealer employee, thus receiving an invite from Suspect #111, a white-haired florist with white wings. Great work."

Eyelashes fluttering, excessively Dune would say, Lila replied, "Anything for you."

"So what will she be doing during the bust?"

"Hold on," mumbled Dana, and tapped her heel against the floor. Smile strained, Dune pulled his coworker back, again. "Lila-ssi will go in and follow orders from Suspect #111, but your main goal is to find any suspicions that Suspect #116, the drug lord, is there. We'll give you an hour before we go in there and crack it down ourselves." Papers flying in quick succession, Dana searched for the involving members list, before peeling those notes out. "Ourselves include the SPOON team, which is me, Jelina, and Doyoung. The Chief requested back-up from the police as this is a crime in usage of drugs, and not production or maintenance. Also, POT is somehow interested so Dune and Claude will be joining you, Lila-ssi, as well, since they already know the details."

"We have our own demons to find," elaborated Lila, along with Dune's affirming nod.

A gleam of bemusement passed over her glare. Both Lila and Dune noticed, but Dana began to organize her paperwork. Blue boy was her focus, so she needn't distract herself with POT. "Cool," she said. "So while you're in there, we'll be in stand-by. Of course, we'll hook you up with tech so we get in the inside. Don't get too nervous."

Leaning in, Dune made sure he blocked Lila's view of Dana as he informed, "She knows the drill, she's been doing this longer than we've been heroes, right?" This time, Lila gave him a nod as he leaned toward Dana. "I'm sorry she forgot when I first told her ha ha..." But toward Dana, he offered her an apologetic wince. "I hate to interrupt, but I have to take a call so I'll just be a minute."

Not even a second after he left his seat, Lila was there. "Dana," she hummed, inching into personal space usually barred as trespassing. Mentality steeling, Dana locked her eyes onto hers. Femme fatale at its best, Lila asked, "What do you say after the bust-out, we go out for celebratory drinks, just you and me?"

A corner of her eye twitched. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

It was a wonder for Lila how she'd recall such insignificant detail. Her plush lips pressed together in a pout. Then, her graceful hands supporting her waterfall of hair, Lila sighed, "We broke up. No one can really understand the weight of our occupation unless they are a hero themselves, isn't that right?"

"I don't think you need a title to be a hero," Dana replied, calm and collected as she should be. "Dune and I didn't need it back when we were doing our own thing. I don't think we even considered being officials when it was just the right thing to do? It's only 'cause they begged us to be here that we're heroes on paperwork, I guess." Though Lila didn't have to know this, she tacked on, "Well the Chief begged me to join, and then Dune got noticed too, but whatever."

"Is that it?" mused Lila, before her hand lowered onto Dana's. "Dana, I have something to show you, but you mustn't get mad." Manicured nails tapped around her hand, which had to be a sign for something Lila-like. Too bad Dana didn't know what that was. "Rather, I think you'll be pleased, but you'll be furious with me first."

A moment passed before Dana answered, "Okay?"

With her free hand, Lila pulled a single envelope from the bodice of her dress. Light, it slipped across to Dana. Trying not to let her curiosity get the best of her, she separated envelope from card, before reading the contents carefully. Afterward, she wore a mask of calm as she responded, "It's an extra invite."

"Yes?"

Quiet was unsettling on Dana. "Where did you get this?"

Pouty now, Lila straightened and told her, "Suspect #111 gave it to me. He said it's a token of thanks to my hard work… Well now, I believe I was granted more time to sneak around during the bust."

"Yeah."

"Will you take it?"

"I couldn't." There was an essential component for her to handle the whole thing from behind, but could she be replaced at the last minute? Who else had that capability? "I don't think it's right—"

"I'm back. Sorry for—" Dune frowned, seeing the millimeter proximity between the two. "Oh no."

Both Dana and Lila were considering him about something, what with the intense staring. This couldn't be good for him; shudders were forewarning him. Though it was Dana who shot onto her feet, flipped a card toward him, and requested a command, "You'll cover me while I'm getting in the bust?"

Dumbfounded momentarily, Dune confronted Lila, "Sunbae, you were hiding this from us?"

"For good reason," she exclaimed. "You know this is Dana's big night so she should have first look, don't you think?"

"I…" trailed off Dune. It was obvious why she wasn't looking at him, because she could be such an open book sometimes. Worrying over her like this could be ended so easily if he'd just— "Dana." Since he called, she glanced up at him. "Vice Chief, go for it."

 **.**

The night of D-Day with almost an hour to go was the worst.

In a car belonging to no one in particular, it was just her and Claude. As he helped her into a much more formal version of black suits, Dana hoped he couldn't hear her blood beating in the silence. It was like her nerves were amplified for him to judge, but then Claude wasn't a judgmental person.

Instead, he fetched her non-prescription glasses when he spoke up, "Excited about The Case finally closing?"

Honest, she replied, "I hope so." Strange how she usually didn't stress so much about a bust. Talking about this wasn't doing her any good, so she brought up, "Did you really ask Dune to marry you?"

Like usual, he grinned with a glimmering greatness that befitted him. Somehow, it smoothed her erratic pulse from an incoming aneurism. "Should I not have?" When Dana shook her head, her ponytail fell a bit from its hold. Fixing that, Claude elaborated, "Is it the time thing? You know how long we've known each other, I don't think, Dana, you can't really place a time restraint on when you fall in love for someone."

"I know that," she said, his hands falling into his lap.

"I just think it's the level of communication and trust that matters, you know?" Hearing that spurred some sort of hateful reaction from her. Claude's brow furrowed, but he continued, "We've had our differences when we first met, but after talking and putting in a little more trust into each other, we got on really quickly. Take it from me, Dana, but the strongest relationships are those built from a strong friendship."

Again, she was mysteriously seething as she repeated, "Friendship…"

"Less than two minutes to go," he chuckled, taking her out of the car. Together, they waited for Dune and Lila, whom the latter dressed for both work and not-work. Before switching off, Claude whispered, "You're gonna ace this bust, Vice Chief."

With that, Dune entered the car with Claude as Dana strode off with Lila. The location was within some high-end building, owned by the influential father of the party's host, and would've been near impossible to enter if it wasn't for the invites. After Lila flashed the receptionist with the necessary cards, they were guided into an elevator.

Watching like a hawk, Dana whispered, "Below ground?"

The elevator-guy said, "It was renovated for the party."

"That's excessive," she snorted, but then Lila elbowed her. They both knew they expected the party to be within one of the fifty-four floors, but underground was new. "I mean, that's cool, wow, big money."

As soon as they got off, Lila laughed, "Dana, you're terrible at this."

"Which is why I don't volunteer for these sort of things," she grumbled, and tugged her down a dimmed hallway. Then it opened into a circular area where club-like festivities were centered with the weird music, stupid shapes that could be lights, and those flashy floor tiles. Physically nauseated, Dana shied away, before spotting door-like rectangles all around. "More rooms?"

Suddenly, Lila untied her arm from Dana's. "I should meet with my boss first. I'll tell him you're on your own, before I'll join you?"

The volume increased so Dana could only nod. It was too much to visually follow Lila's trail. Dana had to get away, so she stumbled toward a sitting area, farthest from the headache-inducing pandemonium. A hand cradling her temple, she finally heard, "Dana, you're inside?"

Another hand pressed to her lips, she groaned, "Yeah."

"How's it?"

"I'm about to commit arson in two minutes."

There were twitters from her teammates in the background. Except Dune who advised, "Focus, Dana. Do you see anything suspicious, people or events, anything out of place?"

"They're trying to kill me through shitty music and lights," she hissed.

"Funny, Dana, haha." It wasn't funny at all to her. Within a pause, a small discussion was taking place before she heard, "Okay so you can't spend too much time talking to yourself. Get out there and try to get into those rooms?"

"Got it."

"Dana?"

Her hands lowered, stabled across her knees. "Yeah?"

"Do your best out there!"

With good timing, the aching mess in her head waned to an ignorable throb. Then she came to her full height, smoothed down her dress jacket, and sauntered comfortably into the fray. Which included drunk adults stepping on her shoes, and that damned noise was incentive for her to annihilate the source with a single fist.

However, she melted into the crowd well enough for someone to grab her wrist. A woman, sober it seemed, with Lila-like flowing hair. Pretty, but a stranger in a strange party. "Hello," she greeted, analyzing Dana's devoid-of-friendliness expression. "I'm Kanna."

See, it might've been a good call to adopt an undercover persona, as Dune suggested. However, there was only one persona for Dana, which was Dana. "What'd you want?"

"Nothing from you." She shrugged, waves of dark—or light, hard to tell with the shitty lights going on and off—tresses dripping off her shoulders. Kanna asked in return, "What brought you here?"

"A friend," enclosed Dana, who narrowed her hawk's glare. A few feet away, a man might have said 'The Oz' but her lip-reading wasn't the best. "She's working right now but she promised we'll go dancing later."

It was a believable half-lie, but somehow sounded off to this stranger. Whatever she was doing wrong, Dana needed to know. "So she left you all alone?"

The man with three other were heading off toward one of those rooms. "Yeah, see," she turned just enough to meet Kanna's eyes for the last time, "I think I see her right over there so I'm just gonna—bye."

Shoving past people was her specialty so Dana made it across the room with no effort at all. She sat down at a table, held the half-full drink atop, and pretended to sip. 'The Oz' guy spoke with the door. Appearances were that he was mad-drunk, but reason explained someone with special hearing was behind that door. It was enough, however, that she observed the group's acceptance. Inside, the room was enveloped with secreted darkness, and that meant nothing.

"Shit," she hissed into her microscopic microphone. "Can't see anything."

"Fifteen minutes down, you got forty-five left."

"Got it."

Nobody would attend a party just to walk away and scrutinize the interior, therefore Dana had to dance. It was too bad Lila still wasn't off work yet, since Dana could use her right about now. Good news was she was a hit with a group of slinky-dressed girls, but bad news was that they were too drunk not to laugh at her 'dancing.' But then who cared, they were only a cover until she saw something out of place. That apparently was a difficult task with the lights screwing everything up.

"Look!" One of those girls pointed with her blinding, glittery finger, and her friends looked, somehow not blinded. "Doesn't that thingy look like a staircase?"

Behind the stage where the DJ was doing his shitty job, a winding set of steps was successfully hidden. Aside from drunk girls, who found exactly what Dana needed. Though another girl pointed out, "It can't be staaaiiiiirrs." The others whined as though she told them the bar ran out of alcohol. Dana wished it had. "Beeeeeecause we're below groundddddddd."

" _Oooooooooooohhh_ ," they pretty much yelled.

Astounded by the presence of intoxicated stupidity, Dana blinked. Then she had to break away from them. "I gotta go." Again, they whined, much more, as though the whole world ran out of alcohol. Now that would be a problem for Dana.

After checking her watch, there was approximately fifteen minutes till they came in. Pressed for time, she blended in, as they say, as dark appearance went unnoticed in the unlit areas. Even the DJ didn't notice a thing as she crept around the stage, much easier than she thought. Once she made it to the back, the difficulty continued to plummet as she spotted bodyguards stationed at the bottom of the stairs.

Seeing Dana, they released their jaw to speak, but not before Dana broke their faces in with a single swipe of her leg. Two birds with one stone-hard kick, as she thought it'd go. Simultaneous, they collapsed with a doubled _thump_. Since they wouldn't be waking up or talking for a while, she stepped over their bodies and skipped up the staircase.

As she thought, it led to a short hallway with a single door. Locked, and could only be opened with two different keys. That meant she would have to go down and search both bodies for a metal key and a card key. Then going up the steps again, even though she was built for thousands of stairs. Regardless, Dana neither had the time nor the patience for stairs again, so she went with her usual alternative.

After kicking the door open, Dana basked in the bust-out of nothing she expected.

A room, it had to be. In center was tonight's criminal himself, however; he was surrounded in a sort of a glass cage. No, not a cage, she thought as she walked around. It was more like a spacey test tube thingy that off the top, it spread off into glass pipes, the pipes ending into several wall ventilations. Why were there so many vents in a single room? Dana's mind working fast, she knew something was being transferred by air, which was a capability of the Oz, therefore the drug was being dispersed from here, and into those darkened rooms downstairs. Though the big question of it all was—

 _Where was it?_

Astounded for the second time tonight, she made her way toward the glass cage. There was a bed where he slept, or appeared to be sleeping. The flow of his chest rising and falling was somehow calming for Dana in this bizarre, unbelievable bust. There was no good reason why.

More so in disbelief, her hand lifted on its own, pressed against the glass. That was real, alright. Though her palm against the wall sounded inaudible to her, he awoke with the slow blink of his eyes. Those were blue, alright, a hazy sort of hue like the sea before the storm. Not only that, there was something not very blue-boy when he struggled onto his elbows. The distance was small enough for him to reach over with his hand against hers, thinly separated.

"Dana-ssi," he called, crystal and clear, even within the glass. "Do you want to know my name?"

Quiet was befitting her as at long last, an inkling of suspicion arose.

"My name," blue boy began, just as the ear-deafening blaring of alarms burst her hearing, but not enough for her to be mistaken, "my name is Osu."

—


	9. come fill up this void you left behind

**a/n:** b/c i took so long and it's one of the better points of my semester, i got to finish one of the most interesting chapters for a blatantly obvious reason. and one of my favorites for along the same reason! also expect more scenes like this since i'm going pre-canon :D

my thanks to _Eternal Nocturne_ for beta-ing, always

 **.**

 **9\. come fill up this void you left behind**

 **.**

Clearly, her reaction time had slackened.

Even though most would be shocked into action from the discordant music, the muffled screaming, the alarm blaring, Dana couldn't do anything. The possibility of blue boy—no, he had a name now, apparently, what was it—of Osu escaping was rising with the speed of racing rapids. Yet there she was. Reduced to a staring state, she lowered her hand to her side, balled it into a fist. Behind the glass, Osu mirrored her movement and lowered his hand into his pocket.

Expecting her to blow over, he ducked as her hand came crashing through.

Fortified glass crumbled like sand, gathered about their feet. Still not yet over his revelation, she was slow to step into his territory and deliberately crushed the shards as though playing out his future. But something like inexplicable confidence shone through his halfway grin.

She asked, which she did not do so often, "You invited me?"

He told her the truth, which he wanted to do so often, "I did."

Her fist was a blur, bursting the bed upon impact. The blanket fluttered, before Osu snatched it from the air. Almost too quick, he rushed past her and, arms out, draped the blanket over her. A temporary distraction as she ripped through it. Him a few feet away, a swift kick shot for his chest. Now he moved too fast, too befuddling for her to register his hand at her ankle.

"Dana-ssi," he called, letting her go. Up, his chin paralleled to her leg sweeping skyward. "Dana-ssi, I wanted you to see for yourself."

Just like the day before, her hand clawed out for him, though she missed by a millimeter. He was mocking her, he had to be, how could she fall for his ill-disposition when she couldn't touch one stupid strand—No, Osu was fighting back. Strength was obviously not his strong suit, however, his arm met hers in an oncoming punch, and he jabbed her aside.

She stumbled, only for a moment. That was enough to send her blood boiling, and she scraped her forehead in evident frustration. While her temper cooled in record time, she recited her mantra aloud, "I'm taking you to SPOON, I swear, if it's the last thing I'll do, I'll—I have to."

Smiling as he always did, Osu loosened his robe and replied, "No, you don't."

Her heel grinded glass into dust, before she was air bound. She came like a comet, snapping his guarded arm back. Now, there was a look, a sort of disdainful acknowledgement as he twisted to protect his injury. Then he moved first; an uppercut kick grazed her cheek. Against her better judgment, Dana was taken aback. Quicker now, an uppercut of her own was returned. Showing off almost, he flipped off his feet before his good arm reached, and stopped her second strike.

Blood leaked down her chin. She wiped her knuckles across before sending it toward Osu. He retaliated with a blank-faced dodge, her hand broke free another wall, and he was outside.

"We're not done yet!" she screamed, her voice breaking like glass beneath her feet.

Clenching his fractured arm, he glanced back. "I guess we're not."

Again, his move. This time, she focused every effort into sending him to the unconscious. However, his strategy was stupid, to head straight toward her. It was too late, her arm nearly killed him when he craned his head to kiss Dana. If this was a reminder of the very first time, she'd rather admit their budding friendship than experience _this_ again.

After an eternity, Osu broke his lips apart from her cheek. One hand saluted his goodbye as the other held her tie, another trophy of some sort. Beaming, and pink-cheeked, he parted with his goodbye, "Not this time."

Before she could catch him, the room, which was apparently rigged with bombs, exploded for his convenience.

 **.**

"Dana?"

She blinked, continuing to tap her chopsticks against the table. Since those were driving him out of his mind, Dune set those away from her and whispered, "Judas is talking to you."

Another blink, but acknowledged him with a lazy roll of her head. "What'd you want?"

The end of his chopsticks pointed to her lunch. "You gonna eat that?"

Several pieces of fried chicken remained on her plate, yet maybe one was touched, prodded with. Knowing that, Judas stared at her with exasperated expectancy. Her gaze was elsewhere, and after a lot of poking from Dune's side, she shoved her plate across. "Take it all."

"Thanks." A wolf-like grin swept Judas' face until he realized none of his friends responding. Having a bit of sense, he accepted a thigh from her plate, before snickering, "Yo, Dana, we should do that thing Dune hates." Already, he frowned as Judas nudged the plate back to her. "Watch, I'll go first."

Never getting used to this, Dune observed in total disgust, but couldn't tear his eyes away from Judas. He clamped his teeth into a chicken thigh, and tore off a chunk with skin, meat, and bone. Dune's stomach turned from watching Judas chew with ease, along with bone crushing into hard bone-mush, before he stopped and swallowed.

The tips of his fingers touching his lips, Dune felt nauseous suddenly. With the delight of a child, Judas chortled, " _Hahaha!_ See that, Dana?!"

From her blank face, she didn't see anything, much less that.

Since that didn't work, Judas burst out, "Dammit, Dana, you're so fucking bor—"

Rarely, Dune hissed and whacked Judas with a plate. It shattered due to his hard head. "Idiot. I'll have to pay for that." Ignoring them, Dana slouched back with her palms rubbing into her eyes. "She's still Dana. It's just…" With a heavy sigh, he glanced at her—when did she look so bloodless and undernourished—and told her, "Dana, you want to crash with Claude and me tonight?"

There was no thought about it. "No," she said, standing up. "I'm going home."

As she pulled out cash from her wallet, the two whispered heatedly to themselves. Finally, Judas stood up as well and declared, "I'll crash with you."

A clean bill upon the table, she muttered, "Whatever."

Before following her, Judas mouthed ' _What the fuck?_ ' to Dune, and hurried to meet her strides. Strange was the least of it as she didn't say a word to his paltry attempts for conversation. Most of them relied on insulting her anyway, which she would've been halfway through kicking his ass. That was if she was herself. At this point, even Judas understood there was something not-Dana about Dana.

"Hey!" he shouted, as she bee-lined for her sofa without even removing her shoes. And she hated when people entered with their shoes on. "Was that bust as shit as you think it was?"

While he yanked her shoes off, she said into the cushion, "Ymea."

He wasn't the best at this, but he was glad to hear actual words out of her mouth. Plopping down on the floor, Judas set her shoes beside him. "Doubt it. C'mon, there's probably tons of worse cases, right?" Whatever he was doing, it didn't deserve a response. So he changed his tactics and added on, "Whose this kid you've been tailing for months now?"

Blue boy's name remained foreign on her tongue, but there was a familiarity to knowing the real him. "He's not this kid," she muttered, face freed from being smushed. Judas grimaced at her beaten stare. "He's a drug lord over this new drug called the Oz. But then how was I supposed to his name was Osu?"

Judas turned to her, shadows now edging upon his expression. "Osu?" He thumbed his chin, thinking in honest hard thought, before snapping his fingers. "Oh, that's right! Osu, your neighbor? No, no," he grumbled, and turned back around. "Her neighbor can't be a drug dealer."

"Idiot," she growled, causing a scowl to darken his face. "He's not my neighbor, he's a trespasser, drug lord, waste of my time, and a drug…"

"A drug what?"

A hand shielded her eyes from the overhead lights. Lightheaded, she mumbled, "I don't know."

Another hand flicked her forehead, not her own. "You're a mess, Dana." It was the truth, but one that she didn't want to hear. Just when she turned away, Judas caught her shoulder and told her, "You know you were close, and just because he slipped through your fingers for like the hundredth time—"

"Second."

"—Ahaha, no, Dana, if a drug dealer been in your house and got me thinking he was the neighbors, he got you a lot more than that, stupid." A sofa cushion hid the embarrassment flaring her face, but Judas continued, "So what if he got away? He can't be doing that for the rest of his life. Either you keep on trying to trap him or one day, you accept it and move on. Just no wallowing in between, it's pathetic for me to watch."

Today was the day Judas dropped his pearls of wisdom. The thing was Dana didn't want them, but she appreciated the effort. "Alright, I get it," she conceded and sat up onto her elbows. The pillow tumbled off and into Judas's lap. "You don't have to crash with me, you know." She reached over to grab the pillow and said, "I'm a SPOON hero."

Full of surprises, Judas shook his head. "Nah, I promised Dune. Even if I have tons of work to do, so may I?" She only needed to agree, before he reached for her barely used laptop. As he popped it open, he tacked on, "Could you answer me this, Dana?"

Away from him, she rolled over and groaned, "Hmm?"

Taps from the keyboard mingled with, but did not drown, his question, "That night, after I, uhh, I dropped you off did—did I put you in danger?"

Though that night was hazy, what came to mind were domestic home-like atmosphere, the smell of vanilla extract, surrounded by sleepy time herbs, and tears soaking her shirt. Even though her memory surfaced in pieces, those were tiring enough that when Judas turned around, he was too late for sleep snatched her first.

 **.**

He wasn't coming.

Glaring holes into her desk calendar, Dana tapped her pen along the current date. Then ink scrawled for the hundredth time from today to the day of the bust. Like the lines of connect-the-dots already connected, her pen flowed forward easily twenty-one days from the day of the bust to today.

Before she retraced for the hundredth and first time, she heard from across, "Vice Chief."

In front of her desk was one of SPOON's more prestigious heroes, though he didn't look like it. Dana gave his child-like appearance a onceover—never really getting used to it—before she called, "Vivian?"

For a moment, he looked like he would inquire what exactly she was doing, but he turned on his heel. "Chief summoned you."

She glanced down to check her calls. "Shit," she swore. Since the messenger was already here, Dana shoved her phone into her pocket and stumbled after him. His gait was cool and collected so she had to slow down to meet the legs of a child. "What's this about?"

"You will see."

That had to mean something, but with Vivian, Dana could never tell. Her patience steeling, she walked the rest of the way in silence, before they stopped before the Chief's door. Ever respectful, he knocked twice and listened for an assertive reply. Then could they enter and while Vivian wasn't responsive in the least, Dana crossed her arms upon seeing two newcomers before the Chief.

"Vivian," the Chief called. He bowed, shortly. "Vice Chief."

"What's going on?" she rebutted.

The arm on the Chief's right swept toward a light-haired woman, fidgeting with her sweater. "This is Rona. She is a mystical creature whose original form is a dog. I know you can relate, Vivian." As a wolf, he nodded with his hands along his back. "I want you to train her until you think she is prepared for the field."

"Understood," he stated, waiting until Rona was beside him, before they both exited.

That left behind Dana, the Chief, and a mystery man. When he turned, she saw tiny eyes glinting in a somehow mock light. It was pissing her off. "Who's this punk?"

A grating grin sparked across his mouth. "My name's—"

"I want the two of you acquainted during the case. For now, could you give us a moment?" The stranger shrugged, both hands upward, before he skipped around Dana and strode out the door. After it closed behind him, Dana took a seat across from her superior, like old times. "Vice Chief, is everything alright?"

"Fine."

"I don't wish to repeat myself, but it looks like I have to," he sighed, his hands folded before him. "The night of the case was not a failure. Even though your prime suspect escaped along with Suspect #111, we discovered valuable information that can further investigate into his matters. Especially with your account of the room, which had not been completely desecrated of evidence." Already knowing all of this, Dana remained silent. "There is also the fact that POT found something interesting."

This was new. Perked slightly, she asked, "What's that?"

"A woman named Kanna."

The pretty-haired, pretty-faced stranger who Dana talked to. Not really, but Dana remembered her enough to say, "She was speaking to me that night." A fist to her chin, she added on, "It felt like she knew I didn't belong there."

"Well, yes, she was a detrimental member to hosting that night. This is POT's case, so I can only inform you Kanna was captured for suspicions related to the villain group called KNIFE."

That was correct. The file on the guardians, the white-winged men were also suspected to connecting to KNIFE's leader. White sand. Or some shit like that. Honestly, Dana didn't know much about them, but a laboratory massacre sounded pretty big, probably too big for her to handle. Though no case lasted too long unsolved, not until Osu came along and shit on everything she worked for.

A hand rubbing an oncoming headache, she groaned. "Chief." He responded with a level-headed gaze. She had to know, "What's my next move on The Oz?"

"Vice Chief… Dana," he addressed. Like it was contagious, he groaned unlike himself. "I believe you exerted a copious amount of time and effort into this case. To which, I do not believe a case like this deserved such dedication from SPOON's strongest hero, therefore it is not your job to pursue the Oz." His fingers tapped along the desktop, and Dana swallowed. "Drug deals are a devastating wrong, however they are not your worth."

Though he could not hear, he could read her lips, ' _Shit_.'

Distracted Dana, like as of now, was not good-hero Dana so he declared, "I also say that it is beyond my power to stop you, however you will not be extorting from SPOON's resources as much as you already did. Understood?"

Wait. So did that mean that she was permitted to continue the Oz case on her own? In reality, this idea was infinitely better than she had hoped for. The Vice Chief of SPOON can handle him on her own, better for her to take him out in any way she wanted.

"Un-understood," she smiled, bared canines glinting in rarity. Chief blinked, uncertain of what she was doing. "What do I have to do?"

"Easy." The Chief's arm straightened, past her and toward his office's door. "You just have to go with your partner. He'll give you the details and follow the location as directed." A mission with new heroes wasn't Dana's thing so she was heading the end direction of his arm. He just had to order, "Oh, and please refrain from upsetting this particular mission for Rosy."

 **.**

"Vice Chief, hold on~!" bellowed Rosy, waving at her dark silhouette. "Wait for me!"

For this case, Dana was given specific instructions not to upset him so she stopped, planting her feet to the ground, and waited for him. The closer he came, the more familiar he appeared to be, even though she neither saw him before nor did she want to.

Once he sauntered beside her, she ordered, "You better watch how you address me once we step inside."

"Right. I forgot." Rosy thumbed to his annoyingly amicable smirk. "So what should I call you?" A wink accommodated his suggestion, "Just so you know, you can call me oppa."

Without looking at him, she snapped, "Just don't call me." Just then, this new hero clicked. Terrible, tiny eyes. Black bedhead. A total ass, apparently, and in Dana's current impression, the near worst of them. A glare darkened toward him, she realized aloud, "You're the one Jelina-sunbae wants to sting through the eyeballs."

"Hmm?" The geniality didn't die down one bit. "This is my first pet shop inspection. What if I get freaked out that I piss myself?"

"Then I'll leave you there."

He laughed in a gasp-like breath, before hurrying beside her.

They entered a pet shop, as per mentioned in their case. Of course, around them were glass cages whether it held aquatic reptilian, or furry little animals. Strangely enough, a minute after they passed through the doors, a robotic voice greeted from overhead, "Welcome."

Leaning toward the fish tanks, Rosy whistled. "Whoa."

"Don't lose focus," hissed Dana.

"I know. But I really want my own fish too."

"You have good taste!" A woman with a red corkscrew hair unexpectedly joined them, and appeared to be more glammed up than an average pet shop employee. Still, she acted the same as she began some backstory about the green fish Rosy looked at once.

As per undercover, or just Rosy, he replied, "I prefer nice, fat goldfish!"

"Anyway," interjected Dana, arms crossed since she entered. "I'm not here looking for some stupid fish."

His grin never letting down, Rosy jumped onto her undercover, "The Vice Chief here is kinda greedy. She's never satisfied with having the same thing as other people."

"Shut up." Her foot stepped onto Rosy's toes, but with the weight of a boulder's edge. His grin dimmed to a quivering grimace as Dana leaned toward the shop employee with a low request, "Don't you know what I'm looking for? I was told that I could buy one here."

Polite, she smiled and stretched out a hand. "Follow me please." Rosy and Dana walked behind her as the employee guided them to the back side of the store, in addition to a hidden downstairs. While she said something about "knowing customers" and "bringing fortune," Rosy snickered in Dana's ear, "She probably thinks we're like some kind of thugs."

That deserved her glare, though the shop employee was oblivious to them. Before a door, she stated, "You have to keep everything you see here a secret." Then the door swung open, bringing just enough light into the room. "Our most popular ones are the bird type ones." Half-lit, a woman with her hand bound beneath her wings was crying silently, and trembled at the sight of them. "This is a female crane. She's still young, and in good health. I'll clip her wings for free if you buy her. She's still submissive so there's nothing to worry about."

"Oh. Vice Chief…" This time, Dana did not correct him when a shaky hand lifted to mask Rosy's shaky grin. "No..."

"I—" There was something terrifying returning to Dana when she stood directly behind the employee, "—never said that I wanted to buy a person." A swift kick sent her to the ground, her red hair unfurling. Over her, Dana cocked her head as though daring her to fight back.

Freeing the crane-woman, Rosy sniggered, "We got you~"

"Y-you're with the police?!" the shop-keeper stammered. "But you look like a couple of thugs!"

Apologetic almost, Rosy commented, "Well, we do basically the same thing."

Annoyed already, Dana demanded, "Would you please shut up? Call the police and have her locked up."

Before Rosy could follow her orders, he glanced back at the shop employee. Looked like she was doing something extra suspicious when a small _beep_ sounded from her. "She's hiding something behind her."

Without hesitation, Dana drove her knee into her shoulder. The employee squealed in surprise, her controller seized by the hero. "Don't try anything stupid," she scoffed, crushing it with her bare fist. Kneeling to the employee's other level, Dana demanded, "Where are the other hybrids?" She sputtered half-assed, obvious lies. "Don't lie to me, or I'll kill you."

While she refused to admit, Dana caught the whiff of something terribly off.

"I'm telling the truth, I—" she asserted, though that did nothing. Following her nose, Dana knocked over a glass cabinet aside. Stupidly suspicious why one would position a furniture that didn't even hide the whole door. "That's just a storeroom…"

The door rattled in Dana's grip, unlocked in front of her, before she simply crushed the knob and tossed it aside, like another human being. It battered next to the employee, startling her, but inside was somewhat gave Dana and Rosy a shock of their own. Even Rosy stayed back and shifted his face away, remarking, "Ugh, I smell something rotting…"

Before Dana, barely visible in a sliver of light, was a hybrid-boy. He couldn't be older than nine or ten, and wore a grimy one-piece uniform. There was also that panda appearance, she guessed, but that wasn't his most striking feature. It was those collars, dauntingly decorated with spikes around his wrists. The largest one trapped his neck, the worst of it, she suspected since she couldn't see completely.

"…Hey," Rosy breathed, the same hand rising to his mouth. Behind him, the crane-woman was filled with dread. "That smell… That kid's wounds are festering."

She noticed then. The insides of his neck collar. Digging into the veins of his neck.

As gentle as Dana could be, she kneeled before the child. Nothing from him, not even a blink. Her hand offered, she murmured in her softest volume, "How old are you?" Behind her, she could hear Rosy shouting for keys. Slowly, her hands forwarded him. Unresponsive, still. That was not okay, but she gripped his neck collar with both hands, and pulverized that part into pieces. A tiny breath released from him. As she destroyed the last of his chains, she asked another question, "What's your name?"

Instead of giving an answer, either a number or a name, he fell forward into her, and burst into tears.

 **.**

The overtime was the worst today. After finding the crane-woman and the panda-boy, most of Dana's on-hour time was spent at the pediatrician, since the child couldn't break away from her. Then during hour three of overtime, the info department dug through missing children reports to finally find him. Which was Guineung, age eight, kidnapped from his home in panda lands. Though he might or might not know, Dana didn't know whether to break it to him that the evidence leaned in favor to his father's death.

Right now probably wasn't a good time as he fell asleep on the train. Already, he was attached to her, to the point he refused to follow Child Services. Mainly Rosy's fault since he went on about "Noona-at-first-sight" or some bullshit like that. But thanks to him, she was handed parental rights over Guineung until they knew what to do with him.

"Fuck Rosy," she muttered as Guineung shifted in sleep. His head supported by her lap, the panda-boy cuddled a backpack Child Services gave him. Necessities, apparently, since they were headed to Dana's place that was just for Dana. "And we're here."

After waking him up, Guineung rubbed his eyes and latched his hand in hers. In silence, he wobbled after her, at time bobbing his head half-asleep, until Dana allowed him a piggyback ride. Once at her door, she struggled to retrieve her house keys, but had no need. Footsteps resonated inside her own home, before the door swung open and he gasped, "Dana-ssi, I—"

Dana shushed him. Osu blinked, his fingers brushing over his lips. " _Oh_."

Moving around him, she kicked off her shoes and dumped the kid onto her sofa. Beside her, Osu brought her heart-patterned blanket over, tucking it over Guineung. The thick bandages around his neck were targets for Osu's eyes. Before he could breathe a word, Dana dragged him to her bathroom.

After closing the door, she yelled, "What the fuck're—"

Palms-forward, his hands raised. "I know what you're thinking."

"I swear if you—"

"I'm sorry," he began, taking a step away from her. Cold bathroom tiles met his back. "I was advised to keep myself away, and I know it should be the best for the both of us but… I'm weak, I guess." Fingers folding over each other, Osu admitted, "I wanted to see you again."

Late nights were apparently honesty-hour as Dana admitted, "I don't care about that." She didn't as of right now for her current concerns brought to surface. "I'm warning you. I'll end you if you even considered the thought of using him." Actual confusion overwhelmed the usual coolness of his countenance, before Dana explained, "Don't tell me a villain cares for casualties? Listen, I'll snap your damn neck if you think getting onto Guineung's good side would get you closer to me—"

"Dana-ssi." His voice like a new moon, he darkened with disappointment. "Dana-ssi, I would never stoop so low to manipulate a child."

A scoff emitted from her bared lips. "How could I believe a villain?"

Osu argued, "What could I ever do to make you believe me?"

 _A strong friendship is built with trust and communication_ ; she was once told. What she shouted was, " _Leave us alone!_ "

"I can't do that! Haven't you heard me say I couldn't resist?"

"I don't care!"

"You know what I've realized?" he shouted back, his hands clamped into white, tense fists. "I don't care either! I don't care that you're a hero, that I'm a villain—"

"I do!"

"Dana-ssi, why must you think in black-and-white, it's entirely foolish—"

Two knocks were hardly audible, compared to the screaming, but Osu heard them. To begin with, he wasn't a loud person so he quieted down in an instant and opened the door. Of course, it was little Guineung who yawned with the blanket over his shoulders. Staring up at their pinked faces, he mumbled, "Need bathroom."

They let him have the bathroom.

Though they did not move the argument as Osu was gone right after he got out. Meanwhile, Dana set Guineung's Child Services-provided toothbrush and cup in the bathroom, and two sets of child's clothing into her closet. There was officiated information so she filed those in her important folders. Doing all that placated her agitation more than she thought. Though that didn't last long when she spotted Guineung in the living room with Osu smiling sweetly over him.

Somehow, he had brought stuff with him. Stuff like a picture book, a coloring book, a toy car, a robotic figure, a smiley-faced ball, stuff she forgot children would enjoy. Not that she was going to give Guineung a knife and demand him to play, but where the hell would he get these so late?

As they both sat and watch Guineung color in a brown bear, she asked him under her breath, "Where'd you get all this?"

Guineung raised the book, showing off his pink-striped, red bear. After Osu laughed in encouragement, he answered, "I was mistaken for my age. Time is an illusion, for some others." _What the fuck did that mean?_ her face said. "I give you my word that I will only show my best toward him. Isn't that right, Guineung-ya?"

Filling in a zebra with the colors of the rainbow, he chirped, "Ya, Osu-hyung."

Great, they're on informal terms now. If there was a minute-way to fix this, it wasn't popping in Dana's mind. Instead, she planted her hand onto the half-rainbow zebra and said, "Weren't you sleepy, Guineung?"

Panda eyes blinked, innocently so. "No."

Index finger up, Osu piped, "He told me he was hungry."

As he came to a stand, Dana sent him her nastiest scowl but he was undeterred. Apparently, while he was out, he fetched ingredients for a late-night dinner as well, two-bags worth. One bag he took with him to the kitchen, but the other he advised Dana to gift Guineung.

If it was drugs, a restraining order was immediately underway, although she wondered if that would solve anything. But it probably wasn't drugs, due to Guineung's pure panda-like delight, as he pulled branch after branch of fresh bamboo. Onto his belly, he colored with one hand and chewed with the other. Bemusement narrowing her stare, Dana was just going to watch and fulfill her encouraging parental role. That was until Guineung pulled her into coloring as well.

"Haha!" The first laugh slipped from his mouth like a baby bird's first flaps. Giggling through a toothy grin, he pointed to Dana's coloring. "That parrot is all black."

She shrugged, the black crayon flipping around her fingers. "Black is the best color."

Beaming, he tugged the underside of his hair. "Half of my hair is black."

"Then you're at half-best," she said, causing a snicker to sputter behind his palm. "You can do what I did and dye your hair all black."

Admiration glittered in his eyes. "Can I?"

Kneeling between them, Osu pointed to Dana's black parrot with a rice scooper. "That looks like a crow." As Guineung agreed laughingly, Dana glared at Osu. Making him leave was the least likely she could do, therefore her last resort was intimidating him into submission. "Dinner's ready, by the way."

"What," blurted Dana as Guineung bolted with five crayons in each hand. Weird how Osu was telling him no coloring at the table. A headache starting, Dana grumbled, "What's happening _?_ "

At the table, a traditional dinner with rice, side dishes, the works like her mom would make it, surrounded the table. He pulled up Guineung's chair who pointed at Osu's apron and giggled, "I like that." Osu glanced down at the sunshine-yellow and playful puppies upon him. Another child-friendly smile swept across his face. "Thanks. That reminds me I have something for you."

It was nice, in a way, that he was much more prepared than she was. Never going to admit that, Dana took her seat when Osu handed Guineung a child's bowl set, decorated with tumbling pandas. A furrow in her brow, she leaned over to ask, "Where'd you get that?"

"I had options," he said through his smile, showing her the inside of his bag. There were at least ten different child's bowl sets, half of them suited for boys, the other for girls.

More like a mystery in Dana's mind, Osu was good with choosing children's bowl sets and helping them eat. He asked if there was anything Guineung couldn't eat, which was none, he was starving (which made Dana feel like the shittiest of shit since they went the whole day without eating), and he balanced Guineung's plate according to the food 3-D triangle shit, whatever. Which was stupid since Osu didn't eat greens himself, the picky bastard.

Bu, overall, it wasn't bad at all. Just three weeks prior, his cooking was like hers, mediocre at best. Then the question was where'd the sudden improvement come from? And most of all, Dana thought with her forehead crinkling in confusion, why?

So she asked Osu, "When did you practice cooking?"

"Go fish," he said. In his lap, Guineung reached for the card deck with a cat-like yawn. As he peeked into the cards above, a sort of motherly satisfaction filled Osu's eyes. "I had lots of time I could have spent with you. But I had availed myself instead, improving my culinary skills." His gentle gaze focused on evaluating his hand, which Guineung was no longer interested in. "I would say it's in good time I did, right?"

A glance back assured Dana that Guineung was drifting into sleep. "Right."

"Your turn." Osu hummed something soft.

"You got any fives?"

"I do not. Go fish." A knot formed in her back as she leaned toward the center for the hundredth time, but at this proximity, she heard Osu whisper, "Dana-ssi." Bored, she looked at him, bright-eyed with relief, then down into his lap. Sprawled over his thighs, Guineung was comfortably knocked out upon him, soft snoring leaving his open mouth, and was sleeping utmost peacefully.

Sidling close to them, she whispered back, "Can you move?"

Apprehension curved his mouth into a grimace as Osu attempted to slide from underneath Guineung. The moment his muscle exerted, he was whimpering. Scratch out getting him to bed then. Rather, Dana disappeared to her room while Osu cleaned up the cards, as much as he could anyway. When she came back, she tossed a bunch of pillows and blankets at him.

As though unworthy, he marveled, "What's this?"

"You're not going anywhere." Her jacket was already in her closet so she unbuttoned her dress shirt and threw it to the side. Osu remained staring before she hissed, "Don't do that! You might be nice to him, but I don't trust you completely, so—so go to sleep, before I make you."

"Dana-ssi."

"What?"

A whisper in the dark was clear enough. "Thank you."

"Fuck off."

 **.**

She didn't know what he meant, but now she knew. _Time was an illusion_. Especially when she was lost into that good sleep. A one in a million chance. But the-greatest-shut-eye-interrupted had to be some mind-fuck. Six in the morning or twelve in the afternoon, time didn't matter when she could finally afford some weightless dreaming.

Before she'd burst with frustration, Dana froze.

Nearby, there was something like sniffled sobbing, like reckless abandon. A moment passed, before she recalled the mission before— _Guineung_ —and she sat up abruptly.

In the dark, Dana caught sight of Osu, cradling Guineung close to his chest. Unrepressed tears drenched Osu's robe, but his focus was to caress comforting circles upon his back. Sensing her, he locked eyes with Dana. Unmoved, he soothed softly, fittingly in the quiet of the night, "It's alright, Guineung-ya, no one will come for you. You are safe." Like the role of a parent she could never become—not by her own anyway—Osu murmured, "You have Dana-ssi and me."

Maybe, just maybe, a possibility arose that he could stay.

—


	10. a waste of real love

**a/n:** my notes at the end it's relevant i swear

* * *

 **.**

 **10**. **a waste of real love**

 **.**

For some godtforsaken reason, today was an invitation for every shitty citizen to be walking the streets. Tardiness wasn't a confrontable issue for Dana—not when very few confronted her about anything anyway—except when an hour late was unjustifiable. An abnormality, thanks to the wastes of space blockading her way. So, it was essentially their fault that she, the Vice Chief of SPOON heroes, was bulldozing people out of her way, though she tried to make herself forgivable by yelling, "Loitering's a crime!"

Not surprisingly, being an asshole saved time. After shoving a bicyclist aside, Dana and her sister, who rode comfortably upon her shoulders, wound up at the community park. Already, Hyena was mentally hogging the sandbox, but Dana directed themselves toward the seating area.

"Dana-ssi!" At one table, blue boy was preoccupied with Guineung and workbooks. It was a good spot, what with the huge oak tree providing canopy of shade, and a bit secluded from the other families. "Over here!"

From the look on Guineung's face, there was no better distraction than the Vice Chief. Once she made her way over there, Guineung calmly closed his book before shoving it to the side. "Vice Chief!"

Trying to keep Hyena still, Dana said, "I told you, Chief and I still are thinking about it."

As Guineung made a face, Osu spoke up, "Is this about…?"

He made space for Dana to sit and groan into Hyena's hair. "Yeah, SPOON work." When she turned to Guineung, he seemed prepared as though he was considered an actual hero candidate. "Look, Guineung, if you ask me, I'd say you better," she paused to flip open his workbook, and glanced once, "you better learn what one-fourth plus one-third is, before you can come work at SPOON."

Puffed cheeks were Guineung's sign of self-restraint, like his arguments were balled inside. Still puffed, he swallowed and picked up his pencil. But then Osu laid a hand upon the nearly blank page with his practiced, peaceful smile. "You deserve a break. Why don't you take Hyena and play?"

Guineung couldn't have escaped faster. Seeing that the children monopolized the sandbox, Dana reached out a hand and lowered her palm. "Lemme see it."

"Not even a please?" laughed Osu. From her expression, he was fortunate not to be cursed out. Exuberantly undeterred, he handed her a manila file, afterward he tucked his hands in his lap. As she flipped through, he summarized, "What he's been through, no one should have experienced that. They said that from observations of Guineung's interactions with me, he's bright and his own personality, but…"

Several pages in one hand, Dana repeated, "But?"

A sleeve to his mouth, Osu made sure to speak clearly, "The night terrors will pass if we follow their support steps appropriately and thoroughly. Though they need more time to treat with—with the scratching."

"He keeps scratching till he bleeds," mumbled Dana.

"He does. The psychiatrists mentioned that sort of self-harm is unconsciously done as well as being unpredictable."

"No, not totally." Guineung's psychological papers littered onto the table. "He scratches when he feels nervous or anxious, or something. And he always tries to scratch away from our eyes, but he doesn't try to stop himself." A hand raking her bangs back, Dana asked, "Did you remember to tell them about his neck thing?"

As Osu reached over to straighten the papers, he said, "Yes, I did. They have received your observation notes of your first sight of him…" His sleeve lowering into his lap, he murmured to himself, "It's inhumane that awful collar scarred him for his life." But then the despondency upon him shifted and brightened into a hopeful beam. "But their final decision is that once Guineung's night terrors decline, in addition to a few more months of therapy, he will be fit to work in SPOON. Less laboring work, of course."

The file closed, then nudged toward her. A fist holding her cheek up, Dana locked eyes with Osu. His smile brightened. "I'll talk to Chief about this." After she stuffed the file into the inside of her jacket, she checked for Guineung and Hyena, creating a massive ice demon she thought, before continuing to say, "What'd you think about him working?"

Taken aback, Osu pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Is there anyone else?" scowled Dana.

Wanting his opinion had to be some relationship milestone, to which Osu attempted to eloquently verbalize, "This is Guineung's idea, however, I think working should benefit his mental health. It should preoccupy him with menial tasks, and I am expecting your colleagues to support his endeavors." Just as he hoped, Dana listened to him thoughtfully with her offside narrowed gaze. "I think he enjoys our daily tutoring sessions and socialization, but for him to attend regular school would benefit him much more?"

"Is he prepared for that?"

"…I suppose not."

"Right."

"To be fair, I was homeschooled and I have my regrets from never experiencing a normal academic setting."

Personal information sharing was a milestone Dana wanted nothing to involve with. From her face, she wanted to run, but managed a squish of an uncomfortable expression. She looked like she ate spicy food a bit too spicy, and said, "Sorry."

Since she was so painfully obvious, Osu retained his smiling self. "I don't want Guineung to live as I do."

Like a heartbeat, there was a want from Dana's chest for more. For this specific kind of personal information, where maybe his past shaped Osu into a villain. From which that can most likely delve into current information about being a villain. But before she could, there was a shout. "Hyung!" They both looked, in case of danger. Hyena was seated in Guineung's lap as he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other clamped onto the swing's rope. "Hyung, push us!"

A sort of annoyed concern crossed Dana's stare. "You're not really gonna push them like that?"

Just before Osu left, he gave into a grin. "Watch us."

If that wasn't an opening to kick his ass, then she should kick her own. Although, for some weird reason, she didn't whip out her lethal leg. She simply sat, her fist unmoved under her cheek, while Osu spoke with the kids. Because of whatever he said, Guineung and Hyena split up and Osu pushed the both of them. And, admittedly just to herself, the longer she looked, the cuter they appeared. It was nice, almost, to just keep her heavy eyes on them as high-pitched laughter erupted from the only kids she cared for.

And even then, she considered. Care was something saved for children, but this was something else when Osu caught her lazy stare. Strangely enough, soft surprise was his initial reaction to meeting her gaze. Then it dissolved into a soft, somehow, Osu-like smile as he waved one sleeved arm in her direction.

Never toward him, she could admit to herself that Osu had moved down her list, although he always had some time ago.

 **.**

When an iron bar lifted after colliding with her shoulder, it came off as shock that it was no longer straight, now bent almost ninety degrees. Geometry should be the last thing on her mind, but Osu thought to start that shit with Guineung early than later. As she shoved her fist into right-angle man, earning a well-sounded _crack_ from his gut, she wondered if eight-year-olds learned geometry at such a young age. She couldn't recall for herself, but Osu apparently did, the homeschooled.

"Vice Chief!" a dragon-hybrid shouted. "Behind you!"

Still, her mind was elsewhere just as she whipped out her arm. The enemy dropped their knife like it'd been on fire, and squealed like a pathetic pig when Dana's grip tightened significantly on his wrist. Pretty soon, she was wheezing in a fetal position, but this scene went disregarded by his torturer.

The dragon hurried over, immediate to help detain the criminals. "Vice Chief, that was incredible."

Just then, she perked and said, "Hmm? Yeah, thanks. Good work to you too."

Seeing that something was off with the Vice Chief, her partner suggested, "Vice Chief, why don't I handle clean up with the police, and you send in the paperwork?"

Before she could argue for the sake of arguing, the dragon already called over other SPOON employees to guide her back to SPOON. Since their jobs centered around paperwork, Dana understandably got into a paperwork sorta mood. Paperwork at the office wasn't so bad, however, once she stood before her desk. Today's concluded case was tucked under her arm. All she had to do was look through, confirm details, give her statement, and sign. What she wanted to do was shove that aside, and yank open her locked drawer. After breaking the lock for the ninth time, Osu's file slammed down atop.

All her instincts yelled at her to go through it for the millionth time. But before she succumbed to them, Jelina leaned on her desk, her venomous hair spilling onto the file. "Hey, Vice Chief!" she greeted in an unusually upbeat volume.

Dana's eyes were unmoved on the file. Her fingers itched to touch. "Hey. Jelina-sunbae."

"Doyoung-sunbaenim was looking for you!"

"I know, he kept calling me, but I know his daughter's birthday is coming—"

"Nope," Jelina interrupted, with a knowing wink. "Apparently, he wanted me to pass on that he has something that you'd like to know so he's been like super busy at the lab, so you have to contact him as soon as possible."

Still staring at the Osu case, Dana said, "Did he?"

At long last, Jelina laid off. But Dana didn't do anything so she didn't appear too desperate or anything. "Yep. So, like, I should mention Sunbaenim is getting suspiciously friendly with that anno—"

The Osu file in hand, Dana clenched it as though it actually contained valuable information. Then, settling back, she repeated what Chief had told her, "Rosy is staying, Jelina." At once, a shadow of hate hooded Jelina's sparkling stare. "I'm sure you noticed that while he can be annoying, and unbearably annoying, he is now a valued member of your team." A recited refute started on Jelina's tongue, but Dana continued off, "Chief even said Rosy might even lead you and Sangjae since he built that much experience."

A moment passed before she said, "This is unfair."

"I can't help you." Human empathy was a thing, so Dana sighed. "Sorry, sunbae."

With a sigh of her own, Jelina backed off. "It's fine. I'll just learn to deal with him like I've been doing, or if I can't, then he should start watching out for _these_."

As she swiveled on her heel, her hair-tentacle hybrids swiped the air and smacked her back. For a moment, there was consideration for Rosy's warning, but being annoying was a trait he should learn to fix on his own. With that, Dana returned to reviewing statements she already knew. But she couldn't open it. One finger to point at was that the lunchbox Osu made for her was positioned on the corner of her desk. She looked in it before—just to see if he had some reason to drug it suddenly—, and it looked fucking delicious, laced with drugs or not. But then the real conflict to this case was why? Why would she read into the same information again and again? What difference would it make, knowing she wasted more time into reading into his case instead of him?

 _What the hell would stop her from stopping him?_

Before her mind could never answer that, her phone rang, and she picked it up mindlessly.

"What?" she grumbled.

Dune's stressed-out voice reverberated from the tiny speaker. "Dana, you need to come _now_."

 **.**

Usually, she had reason for bulldozing people outta her way. This time, she only had the pained urgency in Dune's voice and two words, of which Dune whispered, "It's Judas."

After slamming his door open, Dana gasped and demanded, "What the hell?!"

That punk was perfectly fine. Well. Dune sat beside him with one hand on his arm, and rightfully so. Judas looked like shit. Hair, a mess, his skin, pale like another punk, and his left leg was tapping impatiently. There was one norm; his usual glare burned a hole in one spot before him.

Two steps into Judas' apartment, she said, "What's going on?"

From right behind her, there was a shuffled entrance. Another participant intending to shout stumbled through the open door. This would be undoubtedly creepy if Dune and Dana didn't recognize him. But he was frightening nonetheless when a taller Judas lashed his white cane back and forth, and towered over Dana, before thundering, "Judas!"

Rolling her eyes, Dana shoved him around toward his brother. "Try again."

" _Judas!_ "

Splayed hands hiding his face, Judas moaned. "Hyung, please."

As the only, sane non-temperamental, Dune stood at once and pleaded, "Yuhye-hyung, before you—"

"Absolutely not." Yuhye walked toward Dune's voice, until he stood before Judas. Looking down on him, he addressed both Dune and Dana. "A moment, please?"

Their teeth clenched together in rare worry, they had no reason to stay and awkwardly made way out the door. The moment it closed, they could both hear the beginning of a screaming match. One of those that probably ended with someone's corpse. Always considerate, Dana mentally delivered a death's blessing for Judas' sake.

Leaning against the wall, Dana said, "So what's the big deal?"

His nerves in a bundle, Dune lit a cigarette. After taking a long drag, he exhaled smoke and explained, "He says he resigned, but we know he's been fired." No surprise from Dana, since she always thought Judas' personality was difficult to work with. Though it sucked that Judas actually liked his job. "You should guess how."

"Violence." Pushing her hair back, Dana then crossed her arms. The scene of Judas' neighborhood was clouding with Dune's smoke. "You know I thought he had some self-restraint, but that moron—"

"Dana."

Tilted, her head turned to him.

"Dana, he found out about a scandal."

Scandals were apparently common in the entertainment business, or as much as Judas brought them up. Eyebrows knitted together, she said, "So?"

"He…" Dune took his time with smoking, before he blew and calmed. "The fox-hybrids, those women, they were under his management since he casted them himself." Leaning forward now, Dana peeked at the disgusted disbelief upon Dune. "They confessed to Judas."

"Confess what?"

"Sexual abuse, Dana." He flicked his cigarette onto the floor and retrieved another. Exhausted eyes met hers, also very beat-up, but now? "They were being molested by Judas' superiors."

Somehow, Dana thought of her hybrid, little Guineung staring up at her, tired and terrified.

A good pause followed. From inside the apartment, the screaming reached a point no longer muffled. Something about Eunbidan and something in return about her being a temptress of a—Then she breathed, " _Oh_." Her fingers rubbed a sudden knot in her neck, and she asked, "Were those girls being targeted?"

"You know they were."

"Racist fucks."

"Yes. I know they committed a terrible, abhorrible thing, but he reacted poorly, you can't just go out and attack—"

"Good for him."

"Dana." A sigh of every stress inside emitted from Dune. "Dana, not you too."

Suddenly on his side, Dana retorted, "I'm glad karma bit them in the ass. Or that was Judas. Regardless, they all deserved to be packed into a life-sized blender and made into a human smoothie."

Also on his side, and astonishingly repulsed, Dune argued, "What the hell is he going to do now?" From her reaction, Dana didn't think that through either. Dune tried to soften his tone, but he ranted, "Dana, I don't know how much you listen to him, but Judas was accepted by a very prestigious company, and for him to beat up the seniors _does not_ look—"

"Dune." They snapped their heads to meet Yuhye. He was tapping his cane continuously in front of him. "He's on the phone with our father. Could you stay with him?"

"Oh. Um, yeah, hyung, of course."

After he left, Yuhye took Dune's place. Though he appeared preoccupied with a tablet in one hand and one of those fancy earpieces tucked on. Dana wondered if this was a time of reflection for Judas' apparently dumbass decision, but Yuhye said, "Dana, could you do me a favor?"

Arms still crossed from before, she asked, "What is it?"

"One of my girls," he started, still clicking shit onto his tablet. "They're finished with a job, and require my presence. I believe it is more out of safety, therefore I would leave if this was not a family emergency." Eyes unfocused, his head turned some ways to her. "Could you?"

"Oh." A hand waved above her head as Dana stood upright. "Yeah, hyung, of course. Where is—"

When his hand touched her hair, Dana froze. She only allowed and forgave him because he was blind as fuck. Though it gave her a weird chill when he muttered, "Yes, this will do."

"What?"

"Pin your hair up, Dana." As she did so, he offered her a look at his tablet. "Here's the address. If you could please, I need you there ASAP."

While finger-combing her ponytail, Dana was about to leave, but she stopped. She had to prove Dune wrong, even if he wasn't _here_ here. "Hey, hyung?"

"Yes?"

"Is Judas gonna be alright?"

A stillness of rumination rested in Yuhye's face, before he said, "We'll just have to wait and see."

"…Hyung."

"Just…" he sighed. "Just go."

 **.**

The docks were somehow the designated location. Who would send magical girls to the docks? Apparently, Yuhye-hyung does, although like SPOON heroes, they didn't have much control over who got what cases. Unless it was seniority, and a ton of other factors, but all in all, Dana didn't really want to be thinking so hard right now.

Her mission was to find the magical girl and send her home. Which would be easy if one, the address wasn't a general location of the docks, and two, the magical girl's phone didn't die.

"Fuck," swore Dana, checking the wooden crates for the third time. "Where could she be?"

Suddenly, there was a noise from up top. Some boxes were stacked pretty high, obscuring Dana's view of above. She didn't check there, for good reason she reasoned inwardly, but she headed up there anyway. It had to be a pain in her ass cause her night couldn't turn out any other way. Teeth gritting together, she climbed her way to the last of final boxes, of where the magical girl sat comfortably.

Maybe, the night could turn out some other way.

Magical girl was showered in a half-glow of the half-moon, but also an air of familiarity. Yeah, there was something familiar with her face, her short purple-ish hair, her assumingly tight dress, and especially her face. The longer Dana locked her eyes, the more palpable the air of familiarity appeared.

A moment after looking elsewhere, the magical girl caught sight of Dana and gasped. Before she could say something, magical girl beat her to it, "I remember you."

Fingers to her forehead, Dana tapped them in a wave-like motion, before also remembering. "You're Lila's girlfriend."

The subject brought her to smile, tight and teary. "Ex-girlfriend." A closed hand wiped her eyes as the other was offered to Dana. "I'm Luda, but my magical moniker is Loona."

"I'm Dana." Concerned, she shook her hand. "You have a magical girl name?"

"Yeah," she sniffled. "So, like, what're you doing here?"

A furrow pressed in Dana's forehead. "Didn't Yuhye-hyung tell you?"

"Huh? Umm, _oh_ , oh yeah…" Her fist knocked against her temple in an _oopsy-daisy_ manner. "I think Manager-oppa was sending a SPOON hero, but my phone got smashed to bits before he told me your name."

"Shit."

"Yeah, keep your voice quiet." Nearing Dana, Luda whispered in close quarters, "After the police arrested these gang members, I realized one got away. I called for Manager-oppa's help, but the guy found me first and took out my poor phone." With a lilted sigh, she gripped Dana's arm. "I think he broke my ankle so I barely got away… I'm just glad you're here."

"Cool," whispered back Dana. "Where is he?"

"I think they was supposed to run away by boat, but I ended up destroying it." A small giggle sounded from Luda. It was the first genuine smile Dana's seen of her. "He's either run away by now or trying to steal a different—"

At the edge of the boxes, Dana pointed. "Got him. Look like's he almost ready to go." Something was tossed to Luda's direction, and she instructed, "Call the cops, Luda-ssi. I'll take him out by then."

With that, she leapt off before creeping around the harbor. This wasn't so hard. The criminal was so noticeable, grunting in effort as he unwound the ropes. Just after throwing them off, he turned for a welcoming punch to the throat. But he wasn't too dumb; Dana jumped back onto more ropes, which he then yanked them from underneath her.

Still, that was nothing as she flipped back onto her feet. However, it was something to watch the boat blanket with sudden fog. This criminal had a superpower then, no biggie. Though Dana didn't read up on him, and she was much better with physical bodies.

From the obscurity, a hand snatched her throat and squeezed. Effortlessly, she gripped his arm and threw him forward. The fog disappeared when her hand was on him. Though with her body pressed close to detaining him, he had to comment, "You're a woman?"

Not going to even reply on that. As Dana tied his hands together with the boat rope, stupid words kept spewing from his mouth, "You're flatter than me, and I'm thin as a stick."

A vein pulsed from her neck, but nothing. This was the usual with men being shitty men, and Dana didn't need to compensate for anything. She was strong enough that Yuhye-hyung would even consider her to protect, speaking of. Luda should be heading this way, although she had a broken ankle. Then her thoughts veered to thinking how'd she got up there with a broken—

"Hey, hey, you've tied it too tight!"

Rolling her eyes, Dana kicked him down. "It's almost like I don't want you to get away."

When he turned, a malicious grin curved his mouth. "Watch me."

Attuned senses couldn't save her from mistaking for just a moment. She wasn't here at the docks, glaring down at an idiot she'd just taken down. But just days back, where it was unsettlingly a nice day, and that idiot caught her staring, and took her down when he appeared softer, more something than other, almost.

"Osu…?" she mumbled, as fog began to dissipate around her.

Predictably, a hand clamped around her throat. It wouldn't be a damned problem if her thoughts didn't have murder written all over them. Then a mental timer ticked as the longer his hand was around her throat, the closer she was to passing out. If there wasn't a better moment for emergency calming exercises, it was now. But quelling her rage was impossible, not with this stupid shit, not with letting him go, not with confusing him for someone who she could actually—

"Dana!" Another hand reached out, but to touch the enemy's. "Dana, I'm here!"

Weirdly enough, the fog being to float away from them, toward the sky even. As Dana hacked into her palm, she heard Luda cry, "I called the cops, but then he was choking you, so I had to come over and—and—" She stopped. A deep breath inward and outward. Luda hovered her hands with hesitant restraint. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Dana coughed again, to make sure. "Thanks for saving me."

Another genuine smile, pretty even. "Likewise."

In good timing, police sirens wailed near the docks front. After Luda normalized the criminal's gravity, she and Dana handed him over to the police. They seemed to be nosy with knowing why a SPOON hero and a magical girl were working together. Courteous, after speaking with the police, Dana handed Luda her jacket and suggested, "They offered to drive you to the hospital."

"Nah, that guy needs to join his friends and fast. The nearest hospital is a mile away so I can get there myself. I'm a strong, capable, independent magical woman, you know?" Luda bust out a power pose, but Dana snorted a sort of amused laugh. "What?"

Shaking her head, Dana brought up, "Look, there's no way you should walk there alone. If you're seriously not taking up the cops' offer, I'll get you there then."

Luda thought about it. "Okay."

But before they left to go anywhere, Dana knelt. The break looked pretty bad. It was all deflated and bruised a purple-green hue, probably cause that bad guy fogged it up or something. Dana wasn't a medical professional, but she knew enough to offer her back toward Luda.

Head back, she ordered, "You shouldn't be walking on that."

"Huh?" Hands together, Luda stammered, "I couldn't, no, borrow a shoulder is already pushing it—"

"Get on."

"Ah—alright."

With that, Luda hobbled her way onto Dana and her arms enfolded her neck. After Dana hooked her arms underneath her, she strode off pretty fast-paced for someone with another someone else. Since she expected Dana to walk so hurriedly, she tucked her face into Dana's shoulder blade. It tickled, having someone's catch of breath there, especially when they spoke.

"Dana?"

She chanced a look back. Luda appeared to be physically fine, though Dana wondered if her reckless pace would exacerbate her ankle. "Yeah?"

"I've never seen you with your hair down."

"This is the second time you've seen me," said Dana dryly.

Luda hummed. "Can I?"

Her response was a barely shrug of the shoulders, but Luda felt it. Her fingers barely touched Dana's hairband, before hooking into the band and sliding it gently down her ponytail. Somehow, Dana shivered, though her strength hadn't changed.

"You okay?"

"Cold," Dana muttered.

The jacket was on Luda's shoulders after all, sending a pang of pity. "Sorry."

"Nah. Walking's keeping me warm, and you know." Luda did know, as her whole weight was supported by Dana's super strength. "How do I look?"

Dana did not expect Luda to lean dangerously forward. But it made sense for her to want a better view of her face plus her dark hair framing her rigid countenance. Walking was easy-peasy, so why the hell was she breaking into a sweat for?

A moment later, after settling back onto Dana's back, Luda said, "You look different. A good different."

"Thanks?"

"Dana." She was listening. "Did Lila ever mention me?"

Of course she did. Not by name, but word for word, Dana could recall irrelevant details as to how Lila called Luda not knowing a hero's weight unless "they were heroes themselves." Which sounded a lot worse aloud. But talking about this wasn't Dana's forte at all. Talking about anything wasn't what Dana called her strong suit, unless it was the battle for least amount of words spoken. Perspiration oncoming for another reason, Dana replied, "She did."

Luda laughed, sour but smooth, like wine. "You know she wanted to leave me for you."

"But she didn't."

"You're right. I can see why she'd leave me for you, but you didn't, and everything fits together like life is just this way, so like… Thanks."

"I didn't do anything."

"Exactly." Her arms tightened around Dana, and gave off a whiff of pear, lychee, and blue wisteria Lila had the same perfume, though Dana didn't know what to make of that. "She was good enough to not like cheat on me but it still hurt and I've been demoted to one of the worst magical girls, and she already sent me all of my stuff, but like, Manager-oppa is trying so hard to help me, and I still can't focus because—because…"

Fleeting sobs stifledinto Dana's shoulder. She stiffened. Thoughts were overrunning each other in shambles. One persistent idea was to was dump her and run. That was what Dana did best with others' emotional breakdowns. But with Luda, there was a million stop sign as to not doing that. Plus, Dana felt mostly at fault. Even though, once again, she didn't do anything.

The least she could do was slow down. Night air and an ambient atmosphere was perfect crying weather, or hopefully it was. "It's alright Luda-ssi," Dana said, winging it. "You're going to be alright."

Not even a minute later, Dana arrived at the hospital. Instead of going in, her gut told her not to. Luda's head was still buried in the nape of her neck, so Dana strode around the nearly vacant parking lot. It was weird for Dana. She had no dating experience, but she thought being hung over for someone would take a few weeks and then it was over. Lila must've broken it off months ago, yet Luda was still so emotionally involved. There was so much to be afraid of, particularly when they were heroes, yet hearing and feeling her heartbreak was something else completely.

She was afraid, Dana knew, but once Luda's crying died down, so did that fear.

After plopping her onto an emergency waiting room, Luda used a payphone nearby to call her roommate. While she did that, Dana stationed nearby to call Yuhye for a job well-completed.

"He said he's like ten minutes away." Completely losing it in a hospital parking lot did some good for Luda, who had brightened remarkedly. "I'll get checked out, and they'll send him in for me. Yeah, so after all that… Thanks, Dana." Fingers entwined, she laughed, "You just watched me bawl everything I had, and you're still here."

She learned something new, at least she thought she did. "Yuhye-hyung woujld'ave wanted that."

"Oh, yes. Yes, he would." A hand offered toward Dana again. "Nice seeing you again."

A moment longer, Dana shook. "Likewise."

As a nurse called Luda's name, she gave a secretive wink. "I guess I'll see you whenever?"

A knot of uncertainty twisted her gut as Dana repeated, "Whenever."

Decisions, making a mistake, whether it was intentional or not, were the worst of today. But this one, the longer Luda stepped away, the more balled up the fuck-up grew in her gut. She turned around, toward the exit. Mental signs were one thing as they could mean anything, but she swallowed, hearing her pulse palpitate in her mind. That had to mean she meant something, though Dana didn't know.

Some shots were worth the risk when Dana planted her feet toward her, cupped her hands, and yelled, "Luda-ssi!"

 **.**

Once she returned to her apartment, Dana kicked off her shoes as she checked her messages. Amazingly, a message was already waiting for her. In return, she called, and spoke quietly as to not wake anyone.

The light flicked on, and Osu wiped his left eye. "You're back."

"Uh-huh, yeah, night, unnie…"

"Unnie?" A small yawn escaped his mouth, and Osu tottered over to Dana. "Here, let me take your coat, and I've left your dinner in the fridge, but we have to be quiet. I only put Guineung to sleep like half an hour ago, yes, I know, it's considerately late, but—"

"I got it, thanks."

Seated at the table, Osu sleepily held his head up. "Whose unnie?"

The dictionary illustration of the late-night husband, Dana retrieved her cold dinner and started to consume it cold. Too sleepy to judge her, Osu half-listened to her say, "That was Luda-unnie." Strange how Dana was willing to chit-chat for someone never willing. Like nothing was out of place, her fork stabbed a piece of beef as she added on before eating, "My girlfriend."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** so! we'll be learning more about Luda, no doubt, no doubt, but i do wanna touch on my boy, Yuhye. he's supposed to be the opposite of hyena so fun facts: (1) he is a manager of magical girls, but only those who perform the worst, (2) out of dana, hyena, and yuda, he's the most level-headed, but shares a nasty temper like all of them, (3) while hyena's ambition for the future is world domination, yuhye's is to lay down on the floor, and do nothing until he dies :D

and all my love to my beta, Eternal Nocturne, and my supporter/reviewer Siena and Guest (whoever you are, please make an account and talk to me). speaking of, i would love to read your thoughts on this sudden development like luda good or luda bad? or anything really, review if you please ^^;


	11. i'm alright (i'm not alright)

**.**

 **11\. i'm alright (i'm not alright)**

 **.**

All traces of slow sleep vanished from Osu's expression. Instead, a sort of new contortion surfaced, a mingling between incredulity and, to Dana's dubiety, dread. Though she didn't think much into his reaction, she had to when his pale hands shoved her against the fridge.

In doing so, her dinner plonked between their feet. As Dana's fury flickered, Osu reprimanded himself, keeping his hands to his sides. Still, a sort of quivering bitterness laced into his reply. "I don't understand." Stained sleeves folded into themselves as he said, "You were never one for romantic relationships."

Annoyed and amused, Dana scoffed. "You don't get to assume."

Annoyed as well, Osu showed no sign of amusement. There was a palpable gap between them. "I suppose you do since you know very little." The fury flared behind her dagger eyes, and yet he stood his ground. "I know you've dug up nothing about me."

"I said you don't get to assume," snapped Dana.

He persisted, "It's not assuming if it's the truth?" A moment of weakness occurred when she gnashed her bared teeth, before he said, "You have no idea there's so much more than what I do for them."

"Them?"

"I won't say anymore on that matter."

"Then you're saying—you're offering for whom exactly?"

As though that was an invitation to invade, he leaned into her, but did not look up. "You know what's fun about the Oz?" His low voice was a ploy for her to bend down her neck, just to hear him say, "You don't know much, but you should at least be aware that the Oz has the power to mimic drugs of others."

"I know that." Her arms crossed her chest as she realized how close he was to too close. "If you're offering to me, you know damn well I don't need that."

A fox's smile played his lips. "Of course you think that now. You've never been taken before."

Now that Dana thought about it, she was a pretty good kid. There was that one time she tried smoking with Dune and Judas back in high school. But smoking turned out to be gross, and she liked her lungs for breathing. Hold on. Did alcohol count as a drug? She enjoyed drinking from time to time, but an addiction wasn't a problem. Was that it? If then, drugs weren't all that it was made out to be. Then again, punks like Osu made them a problem.

Her thought process ending in apparent anger, she said, "There's not a single, stupid drug that makes me want to take them."

"Not even the Oz?"

Abhorrence straightened her spine. "Especially the Oz."

For one moment, Dana was sure disgust was the best defense, but in the next, Osu had her hands splayed against the fridge's cold metal, and she refused to meet his eyes. Low again, he said, "You don't get to assume with the Oz."

Stare leveling with the light above his head, she retorted, "Don't copy me."

"I could show you all the glorious things the Oz could copy."

"Like what?"

"Like, for example," he started, and by the soft point of her chin, he tilted her down, "I can take you to ecstasy."

A moment passed when her stance slackened, but that was her ploy so she could deck him across the face. As Osu picked himself up, his cheek swelling significantly, he spotted her arm over her eyes. That wasn't a mystery, yet he gave her a minute to curse under her breath, before she said, " _Don't touch me_." Surprising her, he listened and stayed his distance. Then, her face its usual color, Dana raised a single fist as a warning. "You're out of your mind."

He laughed, "I didn't expect that to work as well as it did." As another fist rose in preparation, Osu shook his head and boldly walked toward his death. "I won't attempt that again."

Though it did her no good to trust him, nothing happened as he lowered himself before her. With his head down, he reached out his arm. Hand out, he halted before her wrist and he touched a fist of fury. Tense, Dana allowed him to take her hand, flatten her fingers outward, and folded both hands over hers. Still positioned below her, she thought he looked like a senseless human before a deity or something of that degree.

He broke the silence, "Dana-ssi."

It was hard to judge an expression she couldn't see. "What're you doing?"

"Attempting something else." Somehow, his voice was clear, strong even. "Dana-ssi, I have something to tell you."

"Is it gonna be fast?"

"Dana-ssi, I like you."

In the minuscule of moments, she clenched her hand, the one encompassed in his, into white fingers. Then, as nonchalantly as she could, Dana yanked her hand and glanced at her dinner on the floor. A napkin atop would fix that for now, as exhausted as she was, she didn't have the strength to deal with that. Or him. He was unmoved, his hands grasping nothing at all.

All she could offer him was a single pat on the shoulder. Then she headed to her bedroom, her steps becoming quieter. As the door opened with least creakiness, her response was, "Go home, Osu."

 **.**

"I'm glad at least one of us likes cake," said Dune.

"I'm sorry at least one of us has to suffer, but still managed to squeeze in the time to eat cake," retorted Judas, before tapping away at his laptop.

It wasn't break time for him yet, so Dune and Dana would have to wait a little longer. They didn't mind. The fresh whiff of sugar and butter was heavenly, like they were all convinced heaven carried the same scent as a cakery. Plus the taste of wedding cake itself was pretty bomb all in itself; Dana never knew how extensive people planned with their wedding cake, even though in the end, it was just going to be eaten.

Setting her fork down, she crossed her arms atop the table and grinned. "Wanna see my girlfriend?"

At the peak of his romance, Dune eagerly set his teacup down. "Luda, right?"

Judas snarled, accidentally swatting fat folders to the floor. "What the hell," he grumbled, and began picking papers up in one big clusterfuck. "What dumbass wants to date your dumb ass?"

There was no better reply than Dune commenting, "She's very pretty." Below the morning selfie she had sent Dana was a text, which Dune asked before reading aloud, " _Good morning, Dana. Have a wonderful day completing wedding errands with Dune and Judas. Save a piece of cake for me, if you can._ Hahaha." Pushing his glasses back atop his wavy bangs, he handed the phone off to Judas. "She sounds really nice."

After Judas passed it back to Dana, he said, "She's okay." Both Dana and Dune gave him a look. "She's got nothing on Bidan though."

"And she's been your girlfriend for how long now?"

Hands slamming the table top, Judas stood. "It's break time!" Immediately, he sat back down, scraped his chair closer to the table, and closed his laptop down with a conclusive tap. Almost to himself, he said, "Fire away."

Beating Dune to it, Dana asked, "Are you fucked or are you _fucked_?"

"Not cool, Dana."

"No agency wants to hire me," admitted Judas, with a careless shrug of his shoulders. "Of course in the entertainment biz, word gets around fast."

Anxious for him, Dune asked, "What do you do now?"

He snapped his fingers in Dune's direction. "Easy. If there's no agency who wants me, then I'll make my own."

"Isn't that expensive as hell?"

"Fuck yeah. I'm in a shit ton of debt right now," sniggered Judas. Pain was an obvious note that had Dune and Dana sharing a wide-eyed glance. "Guess what I'm calling it?"

"Judas Entertainment?"

"Obnoxious Losers Entertainment?"

"Great one, but no," said Judas, pointing to Dune. "Fuck you," he said to Dana, then directed his friends to lift kitchenware up. "Hold that up, Dana. And, yeah, you know what I'm talking about." He gave a knowing smirk as Dune stretched across the table for the center teapot. "So the both of you work at some stupid ass organizations, but mine will make the most amount of sense."

Dubious, Dana eyed down at the spoon in her hand. Then she sliced off her mandarin and lychee cake—which was yummy, and also hit her with a desire to see Luda—, missing that Judas held up his utensil. "From now on, every future superstar will be born from Fork Entertainment."

A pregnant pause followed before Dune offered, "Uhh…"

Dana said, "Mine was better."

"Thanks for your support," growled Judas, stabbing his cake.

Not that heartless, Dana prodded, "So why fork?"

In demonstration, he pointed his forked dessert in her direction and said, "Because my artistic sense can sharply and only pick the best, thus Fork Entertainment." Nudging Dana, Dune clapped and Dana joined halfheartedly, but it worked in feeding his ego. Much better now, Judas exclaimed, "Plus I'm only hiring hybrids to say fuck you to everyone else."

"That's actually pretty boss of you." Dana reached across to clap Judas on the shoulder. He whacked her hand away. "Show them who's president."

The reality of only hiring hybrids was obvious to Dune, but he smiled out of encouragement. "Let us know if you need any help."

"Yeah, speaking of help," Judas started, smoothing down his suit jacket, "I've been busy with my shit, but I remembered to help you out." With a forced wink, he lifted a piece of notebook paper and faced Dune. "Want to hear my best man speech?"

"Shit," muttered Dana. That was a duty she'd forgot, and she wasn't starting up a new company.

Thankfully, before she could make an excuse, the cake-maker swung by and inquired, "How is everything?"

"It's amazing," said Dune. "Could we also sample the caramel crème with pistachio and apricots?"

"Of course! Anything else?"

"You got chocolate?" suggested Judas.

"The best of! Superb choices! I'll get started on those right away!"

After she left them alone, Dana chanced a glance at Dune. Hands folded together, he had plopped his chin atop and shrugged. "Let's hear it."

Before starting, Judas pretended to clear his throat. Then, a hand swept back his jacket back so he could rest a hand on his hip. "To begin," he said, a fist to his mouth, "you hear them laugh once, and some part of you changes inside, forever." A finger motioning down her throat, Dana gagged as Dune kicked her under the table. "When my hyung told me that, and I later relayed that to Dune, he broke out in tears, and began ugly sobbing on me since his longtime crush on my brother—"

Almost at once, Dune snatched the paper from Judas and speed-read the rest of it. As Dana was snooping over his shoulder, Dune cried, "You will not recite that before Yuhye-hyung!"

Bellows of laughter escaped Judas, and he toppled onto the floor. Temptation to kick him burned inside Dune, but he pinched his lips together, even when Dana spoke up, "The rest of this is about you having a complete meltdown."

"I'wm smowry," garbled Judas, wiping at his tears with his sleeve. Dune gave in, and kicked his shoulder, sending him down again. As though an excuse would save him, Judas said, "I was—was gonna talk about Claude coming in, but—Godt. I was sympathetic as shit that night, but I couldn't get over how pathetic you were."

"You're a complete ass."

"I know."

"I can help," said Dana, and she dumped Judas' slice of cake onto him. Mandarin creme wasn't much of an instigator for Judas. Onto his elbows, he shoved it off his cheek while glaring up a storm. "Mess with Dune, you better watch yourself."

Shadowing his eyes, Dune groaned. "Dana, please tell me yours is any better."

"Uhhh… I will?"

"You will?"

In good timing, the cake-maker strolled in with three slices of each requested flavor. And it turned out payback was too much of a temptation as Judas grabbed a slice with his bare hands. The cake-maker screamed when he lunged across the table toward Dana, and smashed apricots and marzipan into her hair. Too accustomed to their violent antics, Dune pulled out his wallet while Dana and Judas' rough-housing were too much for the table, which could not bear their weight and suddenly collapsed.

 **.**

As the whirling of the washing machine lulled Judas to sleep, Dana pinched Dune's striped pants that she'd borrowed from him. His place was the closest, and they still needed to check off their wedding suits. That was delayed for a few hours when Dana and Judas would've definitely been barred from entering. Which was dumb. It wasn't like being caked with cake would've hurt anyone?

"Hey, Dana," said Claude, entering the laundry room. Something clean was tossed to her. "Dune said to wear this."

It was a solid color shirt, an anomaly in Dune's wardrobe. "Thanks."

From behind her, Judas' head clunked against the washer. Claude was the only one to actually react, and crossed his arms in concern. "Is it just me," he paused when Dana slipped on the shirt, "or is he gonna be okay like that?"

"Yeah."

"He's not wearing a shirt."

"Yeah."

"Or pants."

"Yeah?"

Claude gestured palms-out in his self-defense. "Look, I don't know what your conscience is thinking, but mine is saying I can't let a man in his underwear freeze under my roof." On his heel, he turned and waved at Dana. "At least spare a few words if you guys decided on a cake?"

"Caramel crème, but we're banned from that place."

Strangely satisfied, Claude rapped on the door frame. As soon as he left, Dana swiveled around to Judas. The moron could sleep through a hurricane-tsunami hybrid. Like a bear in slumber, the whole washer rumbled in effort, causing his head to slam against it every millisecond. Upon the side of the washer, there was becoming a little indentation of his hard head.

With a sigh, Dana kicked his shoulder blade. That rolled him onto the floor, though comfort wasn't an issue anymore.

A tiny ting rang from her phone. A message from Luda was always a good message. Smiling to herself, she texted back while footsteps neared the laundry room. As soon as Dune entered, even he didn't react upon three-quarters-naked Judas. "Throw this on him," he instructed, tossing her a blanket. She caught it effortlessly with one hand, pocketing her phone with the other. "Frankly, he does deserve to freeze to death if he refuses to wear my clothes."

"Claude wouldn't allow it."

"I know." He took a seat on the floor next to Dana, who literally threw the blanket onto Judas. The heavy sleeper curled toward them. Dune blocked Dana from kicking him aside, and said, "I heard your foster kid wants to work at SPOON."

"Yeah. And, actually, I'm in the process of adopting him."

Always realistic, Dune asked, "You think you can handle guardianship?"

Like he was dead, Osu's motherly image popped up. But he might as well been. "I think I can handle it," she said knowingly. The last time she had a real conversation with him was… "I've had some help. Even though that's becoming really weird lately." Dune cocked his head in confusion. Suddenly, the washer quivered to a halt, but Dana's clothes were still occupying the dryer. Judas mumbled in his sleep. "But, yeah, you think I should let Guineung work in SPOON?"

Lost in intense thought, Dune crossed his arms. "What did the psychiatrists say?"

"The usual. An okay but he needs supervision. Yeah, yeah."

"Even for fieldwork?"

A curled frown marred her mouth. "Guineung wants to, but that's a definite no."

Dune nodded. "Has Chief had a say?"

"He doesn't care as long as he's okay." Dana's expression was one of annoyance as she folded her arms over her knees. "You haven't told me what you thought."

"I wouldn't want to give you an uninformed opinion."

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Chuckling, he said, "He's still a child. I would say he should at least finish some form of schooling, before he works. Considering the easiest SPOON work involves an understanding of basic core subjects, I'd say wait until he completes school." When Judas stretched away from them, Dune reached over to tug the blanket over his head. "I'm no child psychiatrist, but I would also say that by the time he finishes school, his mental state would have improved for a high-stress setting that is SPOON."

"I think you're generalizing kids. Guineung's a tough one."

"He's been through enough stress as it is, Dana," stated Dune.

"You don't think he could at least go through a test employment? Just watching me work or something?"

"Why?" His eyebrows quirked together. "Did he ask for that?"

Scratching her earlobe, Dana shrugged. "Maybe."

A typical sigh left Dune. "Do what you need to do, but just be careful, alright? Still and all, he is a physically and mentally traumatized minor."

Because Dana respected Dune's thoughts, his opinion on the matter was duly noted. Then she tried to shift his information into a sort of related matter. "Guineung's pet shop bust was a pretty big deal…" His fingers tapped against the inside of his elbow, his tic when he craved for a cigarette. "Are you doing anything big?"

"The usual," he replied.

This didn't make any sense. They both came from hero organizations, and even though his handled the more secretive cases, Dana had a right to know. At least, she thought so when she urged, "Did you get anything outta Kanna?"

Dune sighed. "I can't tell you anything, Dana."

"Well, I'm not getting anywhere with the Oz, and she's my only connection to him and KNIFE."

"Dana…" Wavy hair hid his bagged stare of exhaustion. "Please don't get involved with KNIFE as much as you already are."

"That's barely anything!"

"Dana."

As though to attenuate the atmosphere, the dryer stopped and the room's heat began to dissipate. Dana tiptoed over Judas to remove her clean clothes and transfer his. While stripping out of Dune's clothes, she said, "Fine."

A sudden snore ripped the air. Dana and Dune glared at Judas who groaned from under the blanket, "…Hngnidan." A stray hand whacked Dune's ankle, and he jabbed Judas away from Dana changing. "Listen, like… a lot… Nngooo, more than that. Fonking dumb. Ith stress's talking."

"What the hell is wrong with him?" scoffed Dana, buttoning up her dress shirt.

A rare glint sparked in Dune's stare. Over Judas' head, he whispered to Dana, "Perhaps we should film this. Then we can see it how he likes it when we showcase it during his wedding."

" _Pfffttt_ ," snickered Dana. "Maybe we should."

"How pathetic."

In some sort of persistence, Osu's image relented in her mind's eye, appearing even now as a mortal offering his all. Her head skyward, Dana laughed, "Yeah, pathetic."

 **.**

As of right now, the mirror was the enemy.

Knowing Luda's style, she'd probably look hot as hell in a curve-hugging one-piece. But Dana? Dresses weren't her thing. Like right now, she gaped upon seeing herself in a floral sundress sort of mess. Godt, this was the fucking worst, why didn't she take up her female collagues' offer to shop? Oh, that was right, because shopping was hell on earth and it was simpler to look good in a black suit, day in and day out.

After stuffing the dress in the trashcan, she dressed back into her casual wear and screamed into a pillow.

The knocking at her bedroom door was accompanied with words, "Dana-ssi?"

Pillow off, she said, "Yeah?"

"I've come for Guineung."

A moment later, she opened her door and replied, "He should be doing his work on the balcony."

Osu stood before her, head up, and hands folded into his sleeves. "That he is." The space between them was much too far, even though he was nearly a foot away from her. His voice even sounded a bit like he was upon the other side of a canyon. "I'll be taking him out on some errands, but I will have him home before twelve?"

"Cool."

"Goodnight, Dana-ssi." Nothing else, he turned to leave.

This was their norm as of lately. Just Guineung this and Guineung that. They didn't really talk anymore, much less spend time together in the same space. And that made her feel her worst of guilt when he showed concern whenever—or more accurately every time—she overworked at SPOON, so then he offered to expend everything he has to help her, but that was just… Two fingers pressed to her temple, Dana said, "Osu, hold on."

When he stopped, his head tilted. "Dana-ssi?"

 _Don't do this_ , one part of her shouted when her actual mouth verbalized, "Can you help me?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Just come in." The door open, she took a seat on the corner of her bed, and stared at all the black suits and the minimal selection of non-black suits. As Osu warily walked in, she groaned. "You see?"

A moment passed before he said, "You are asking me?"

"You're right, you're right, this was a fucking stupid idea, and I—"

"Dana-ssi," he started, staying a good length away from her. "I don't see the problem."

Both hands deepening grooves into her eyes, she spelled aloud for him, "Isn't it not okay to wear what I usually wear to a date?"

Eyes upon her closet, he hummed. "If you're asking me, your day-to-day wear is professional enough as it is." Then his profile lowered to a spot nearby Dana. She was attentive, her hovering above her eyes. "In all honesty, I could care less about social customs. If you're asking me, I think you are attractive enough, regardless of what you're wearing." Like an angel, there was a glow-up around Osu's soft smile. "Dana-ssi, you should be more confident in who you are."

Even though that was kinda thoughtful, Dana said, "I want to change."

"I see, I see," he mumbled, a thumbed fist to his chin. "I agree that particular dress is not becoming of you." Scowling, she threw a towel on top of her trash and curled her heart-patterned blanket around herself. "But I also think that you're much suited for… Do you have anything else in black?"

To answer that, she rifled through her drawers to throw a few other pieces. That was enough as Osu spent only a few moments before he drew the final design. A small part of that, he asked Dana to wear her most casual suit jacket. After seeing her arms-out and move around three-sixty, he stated that jacket turned out looser than he liked.

"But I can fix this," he said, and pulled out a little sewing purse from his robe. "It'll take a while so you should relax." The needle was already strung when he took a seat upon her floor.

Right across from him Dana sat against her bed. The silence was welcoming as he strewn the fabric tighter together, cutting here and there. At first, watching him would be okay with her, but Dana couldn't allow the guilt to eat anymore at her.

"Osu?"

The string in his mouth, he said, "Hmm?"

"You don't think it's wrong of me to…"

"To?"

Eyes upward, she said, "To want to conform?"

Eyes upon tying her jacket together, he replied, "I think it's wrong for us to have something to conform to. You should have seen all the looks I received while grocery shopping with Guineung." A lighthearted chuckle passed his lips, and she joined in a small smile. His laughter faded as he said, "But if it's what you want, and I see no harm coming to you, I think you should do whatever you want for you, with no mind to what I or others believe onto you."

"You believe that all on your own?"

"Is it that unbelievable?"

"Maybe."

The needle slipped through unbothered. Thinking for a moment, Osu hummed a neutral response.

A closed hand pressed to her temple, she studied him with a profound gaze. "I didn't know villains have some morals."

"We're not all the same. Some of us have a slightly more working moral compass than others."

"Still unbelievable."

"Like I said, Dana-ssi, it's not all black or white," he laughed. "You're fortunate you have me as one of the more moral bad guys."

"You could be better. But I'll try to remember that."

Osu glanced up at her. Her profile was distant, facing the window where she had a lucky view of the lower apartments and the cityscape. Head pulsing a little faster, he bit off the string and started the next row. Though that was the furthest they've spoken since his bad night, there was a sudden need to get as far away as possible.

As soon as he finished, he presented the mended jacket to her. "Here," he muttered, tugging his robe closer to himself. "Button just one. I know how you don't like to button at all." Before a thank-you was in order, he hurried out of the room. Muffled conversation resonated from beyond the open window, but Dana knew Osu and Guineung had disappeared on the balcony, in his own mysterious ways.

That left Dana all on her own.

Slow, she donned each piece of his outfit. Button just one with her jacket. Then, with her fist thumping her palpitating chest, she stepped into the mirror's way.

"Huh." Her stance straightened as she smoothed the creases of her only ruffled blouse. It looked stupid paired with her black suits or anything else, but not so bad along with jacket and shorts. The shorts showed off her kickass legs, and the mended jacket hugged her hips better than before. "This is weirdly… acceptable," she mumbled to herself. Just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating; she took those selfies Luda loved so much.

After sending it to her girlfriend, she plopped onto her bed. Her phone tinged, and Dana instantly unlocked it, curious to see if it wasn't just her—

 **Babe! *growing heart emoji* *sparkling heart emoji* *floating heart emoji* Is this what you're wearing for date night? *kissy face emoji* *another kissy face emoji* *yet another kissy face emoji* And you said you didn't trust your fashion sense! Look at you! You didn't even know that no one knows you better than you~**

—

* * *

 **a/n:** how much more of avoidant osu we'll get idk :)))

all my love to my beta **Eternal** **Nocturne** , and to especially to everyone who reviewed h oly shit, to my bestest supporter ever **Siena** , and **Guest** (seriously make an account so i can personally thank you to the moon and back), **SmolAsianBean**! thanks for reading this crap even though it's what i want.

next chapters are gonna be bit of a shitstorm so watch out yanno?


	12. holding onto you will do you no good

**.**

 **12\. holding onto you will do you no good**

 **.**

Whenever Guineung skipped over the broken cracks upon the sidewalk, it was Dana's instinct now to hold his hand higher. Honestly, this parenthood thing was no biggie—thanks to the major help of a certain someone, who was currently being blocked in her mind—, but for her specifically, taking your kid to work was a pretty complicated ordeal. Especially because she or SPOON or whoever in charge was going to hire him in the distant, distant future. That was Dana's plan, though from Guineung's childish enthusiasm, that might not be the plan after all.

After passing the electronic guard, Dana pocketed her ID and headed for her office. Guineung wasn't all that familiar with SPOON, being that this was probably his third or fourth time inside, but he acted like he never been in before. Fascinated eyes clung to every employee, every event, when there was no need. Part of her plan was to take him around anyway.

That and everything else were backtracked when she saw a small group of people before her door.

One of them she recognized as Rosy. Which made sense. Her prime assignment today was to supervise Rosy's team so she could inform Chief to officially promote him. But the other two didn't click for Dana, not while standing with Rosy. Strangely enough, he and Snow-sunbae were comforting a young girl.

"What's going on?"

From tear-stained hands, the girl snapped her head up. "Dana-unnie?"

Guineung glanced up at Dana. Muddled, she said, "Doyoung?"

In an instant, she strode over to Dana and kneeled in front of her. "Please, unni—Vice Chief." With quivering fingers, she clung to the bottom of Dana's jacket as though her lifeline. "Please, I'm begging you, please help me," she cried, head bowed down.

"Hey," said Rosy as Snow hurried over, and rubbed Doyoung's back. "You don't gotta do that."

Unusually somber, Snow tucked back damp bangs from Doyoung's cheek. "I'm so sorry, honey," they murmured and waved their fingers at Guineung, then finally faced Dana. "Vice Chief, I know you're very busy, but I hope you can take the time to listen to us."

Usually, Dana would require a succinct summary now. However, her gut was telling her there was something more, probably personal. Her hand rose on its own. As gently as with Guineung, she pried Doyoung's fingers and lowered to her level. She was reduced to endless sobs, which was the most emotion Dana had ever seen of her, but quieted when Dana said, "I'll help." Doyoung met her stare, strong and solid. "What's the problem?"

A moment passed before Doyoung swallowed her sob and said, "My father. He's missing."

 **.**

The first day for Guineung was the best. Even though heroic cases involved some sort of tragedy, missing heroes were definitely one of the more intriguing cases. Almost always, this was some villain's vengeance, or some other times, a hero's heart was a burden to carry. Either way, there was a higher probability that the hero would not return.

Just like he worked there forever, Guineung fetched mugs of tea for Doyoung and Snow. Dana forced Rosy to do his work as she thought at her desk, hands folded before her emotionless expression.

"Vice Chief," started Snow. Dana nodded. "Whatever Doyoung tells you, I just ask you to place your trust in her."

That wasn't hard. Unlike her father, Doyoung was a logical, sensible kid. Which didn't help Dana at all when she allowed Doyoung to explain.

Her face vanished of all emotion, and mirrored Dana's impassivity. "My father has been missing for approximately two weeks. On the day he disappeared, he called me to say he had something to do." As she paused in hesitation, Dana narrowed her eyes. What was going on? "My father has been messaging me daily as though nothing was wrong, but these messages are… weird."

Dana said, "How weird?"

Snow nudged Doyoung to show her phone, which she did with a trembling hand. Upon her desk, the screen showed a series of text messages and at the top the sender was labeled **Father**. But nothing seemed weird to Dana, as she read sickly sweet messages from Doyoung-sunbaenim. He even used those stupid stickers one would purchase in a messaging app, his favorite being a dumb duck.

"I know nothing seems out of place, but I am telling you, right here," Doyoung said, pointing to a message: **Have a supertastic day at school~ Let me know how Health Club went! Love you~** along with the duck waving goodbye or hello or whatever. "My father knows I have left Health Club so I can attend phlebotomy classes. And that sticker—" Her index fingernail tapped at a yellow waving wing, "—my father would never use that one when he ends with 'love you.' He… He uses the one that throws kisses."

 _What in the fuck_ , thought Dana as she attempted to maintain her face. Guineung was sitting patiently beside her, absorbing every detail. "Okay," she decided to say. "And?"

Then, Doyoung's finger scrolled down to another message. "And here as well." **It's a beautiful Sunday~ I know you're studying hard, but remember to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I want my baby healthy!** Since it's important, Dana glanced down to spot the duck sticker flexing. "He knows my studying is pushed back because I have been interning at SPOON, and—and whenever he reminds me to eat, he uses—"

"The duck eating a meal," finished Snow. Ah, Dana recalled they were dating. So they were here as a second supporter. "Vice Chief, Doyoung-sunbae has not been in contact with me at all during the past two weeks, which I understand, however I can also attest to that dear Doyoung's messages are quite _unusual_."

"Right," said Dana. The duck with those huge biceps were winking at her. "So are these messages the only evidence?"

"Yesterday, he called me so suddenly," mentioned Doyoung. The memory of it clouded her eyes. "I was staggered when I heard his voice, but I recorded the last minute of it." She fumbled with her phone for a minute before presenting an audio recording.

"— _coming back soon, alright?_ " A long exhale followed Doyoung-sunbaenim's voice.

Squinting now, Dana listened to Doyoung sob, " _Where are you? Why can't you tell me where you are?_ "

" _I want to_ —" Then current Doyoung began to well up in tears. From the phone, shuffling noises hid the rest of his sentence and continued for quite a while, but one thing was obvious. " _I just can't, sweetheart, it's too—_ "

Pressing pause, Dana realized, "Someone was talking to him."

Teary-eyed again, Doyoung exclaimed, "Exactly!" Like a brittle autumn leaf, she crumbled into herself as Snow patted her shoulder, over and over. "Not only is he missing—he's been—someone—someone terrible kidnapped my father…" A slight louder now, she cried and Snow nudged her onto their shoulder.

Helpless, they looked to Dana.

It seemed like a jerk move now to theorize that Doyoung had something to do along with someone else. Could be an ally, could be a kidnapper, could be no one at all. In a wave-like motion, her fingers tapped impatiently against her wooden desktop. Doyoung-sunbaenim was primarily a healer who worked at his own labratory, which wouldn't invite a long list of revenge-seeking villains. Though he was a considered a senior hero, so…

Before totally committing herself, Dana asked, "I'm assuming you already met with the police?"

At the mere mention of that, Doyoung pinked out of exasperation. Snow explained, "Our evidence is apparently not enough. Therefore, we resorted to approaching Chief as well, however his statement was that Doyoung probably went off in a hurry, that his mind is probably not quite there."

In all honesty, Dana was just thinking that. But then Doyoung-sunbaenim didn't just disappear. Not that she knew him that well, still Dana knew he loved his daughter a lot, maybe too much. Her fingers curled inward, into a fist pressed against her cheek, and she began to wonder. Was Sunbaenim that absent when it came to her? Wouldn't he have known how distraught she would be, breaking out of a pattern that his daughter would've known so well?

Not only that—his daughter who knew him so well?

Startling Snow and Doyoung, Dana abruptly stood from her seat. Guineung began to clear the drinks while Dana walked around to lean against her desk's front. Arms crossed, she waited until Guineung took his place beside her. When he did so in his boyish excitement, Dana declared, "Doyoung, leave your father's case to me."

 **.**

But first—her actual work. Snow was going to compile everything she and Doyoung knew of his disappearance, plus some others', before sending it all to Dana. While that was happening, Dana had to supervise.

Weirdly enough, Rosy's team was assigned to resolve a missing person case.

As Dana observed back with Guineung, Rosy's team closed around the inconsolable mother, Shari. Guineung was taking down notes, which Dana read off his shoulder;

 _Shari's sun,_ _Jay_ _Jae, was missaeng for one week. Jae is_ _sevanten_ _17-yaers-old, a_ _saecand_ _2nd-yaer in hi school, and he is 1/4-peacock. He took sum of his_ _beelogngs_ _beloings_ _stuff before he went missaeng. No note was laeft_ _beehinde_ _behind for his_ _momther_ _mom. She think that Jae was stole from the_ _fath_ _dad._

Reading that, Dana shoved off the wall so she could listen in.

"—know that my ex-husband would do such a horrible thing!" cried Shari. Jelina's tentacle-hair bumped the tissue box closer to her. After going through half the box, Shari composed herself and continued, "You see he has this special skill where he can make mostly anyone fall for him, whether it be romantic or platonic. It's sorta like brainwashing, but people only do so much for love. It works on my poor, beautiful Jae as well."

Visibly concerned, Jelina said, "Does your ex-husband have custody of Jae?"

"No," she sighed. "I was fortunate the court decided in my favor."

"Your husband is half-peacock?" blurted Sangjae, having read her mind.

An eyebrow cocked, Dana thought she could've taken a stab at that. Shari was dressed very ostentatiously in deep blues and an array of calming yellow and green. It was more than obvious to Dana that Shari had some obsession with peacock from the mass of crazily-colored clothes she carried.

There was a moment before Shari said, "Yes, he is. I hope that is not a major concern?" Pointedly, that was directed for Jelina and Sangjae who glanced at each other. Beside Dana, Guineung rested his head against her arm. "Regardless of who he resembles the most, Jae is my gorgeous little baby and I want him home with me where he belongs."

Having not said a word, Rosy finally spoke up, "So our first lead is your ex-husband?" Shari sniffled into her handkerchief, and bobbed her head. "Do you might know where he currently is?"

"Do I know where he is?"

A squiggly smirk played Rosy's mouth. "Do you?"

"Yes. Of course I know where he is," Shari said, her voice stringier than a ball of kitten-mussed yarn. Like stepping into mud, Dana felt something off, not noticeably. Guineung held her arm. "I would have confronted him myself, but he has the skills to mess with your mind. You should all follow me to this address."

 **.**

So far, so good. Dana and Guineung followed Rosy's team to a boutique where Shari's ex-husband, and Jae's father, stood before a customer. Though he looked grayer than the dictionary pictures of peacocks, he still exuded a sort of natural vibrancy. It appeared to Dana he was buttering the customer without his special skill.

"There he is," Shari said. She bit a manicured thumb. "My ex-husband, Jean."

More to himself, Sangjae said, "You didn't have to stay if you're like this."

Very leader-like, Rosy strolled before them with his arms out. "Well, let's go see what he has to say?" No disguise needed, he sauntered into the store. On her own notes, Dana wrote that he appeared obnoxious as he approached Jean. "Hello, my good man!"

Everyone's first impression was that Jean was pretty nice. He returned a grin to Rosy, one of the same vivacity. His blue wing out for a wing-handshake, he said, "Good morning, sir! What could I do for you?" Behind Rosy, Jelina and Sangjae stepped forward slowly as though browsing. "Are we shopping for the young lady pretty in pink?"

Coincidentally, a blush colored Jelina's ears. "No, sir, we're not."

To the point, Sangjae said, "We're here to ask you some questions."

Hearing that, Dana entered the store with Guineung. Shari hid back while Dana edged closer to the conversation and lifted the hanger of a glittering green dress. Definitely not her style, but Luda would look killer in it. Guineung snapped her out of her thoughts once they heard Jean say, "II want to know who hired you?"

"Sir, we're just asking you if you know where your son is?" Rosy questioned.

His voice steeled. "It's Shari, isn't it?" Immediately, Dana shoved the hanger back as she turned to leave with Guineung. "Shari's put all of you to this mess, hasn't she?"

"He knows where Jae is," Sangjae said, along with a sigh. "Shari was right."

"You kidnapped your own kid?" gasped Jelina.

"I did not kidnap him!" Dseperation coated his facial features as Jean sharpened his stare, his stance straightened. Flamboyant feathers began to rise from behind him. Rosy's team began to relax. Calm and cool, Jean said, "I am restricted from visiting my son. I wish you all the best in finding him, but you will not find him here. I must ask you to leave the premises at once."

Jean's special skill was a real pain in the ass. For a moment, Dana debated intervening when Sangjae and Jelina smiled and laughed along with him. Synchronized, their left foot stepped back, turned to leave. And they would have if Rosy didn't clamp his hands upon them.

Thumbing his lower lip, Sangjae mumbled, "Hold on."

Front and center, Rosy wound his arms around his teammates. With a snakelike smile, he asked, "Has Jae been living with you?" As an emphasis, he and his team stepped forward, close to encircling a cornered Jean.

He sputtered, "He has but—but there's not—but I haven't—"

"How dare you?!" There came a roar. At the front of the shop was the raging mother herself. To Dana's likeness, she steamrolled past racks of clothing to her ex-husband, screaming, "How dare you claim to not kidnap my son! How dare you to shift the blame onto me, a mother who'se been beside herself looking for her son! How dare you to act like there's nothing wrong when _you've kidnapped my graceful, gorgeous_ —"

At this point, her brand-name handbag was swinging, specifically at Jean. At once, it was Dana's job to stop that, but there was so much going on. Jelina was holding Shari back as she flailed and shrieked. Trying to block Shari with one arm, Sangjae was yelling something else. Strange that Jean was succumbing to the blows with a bowed head. Dana noted that, but then she noticed that Rosy was taking in the father as well. Though she displaying nothing on her expression, a jack-o-lantern's smirk began to overtake Rosy's.

His mouth moved. "I think I know—"

"Stop it!"

The chaos came to a halt. All eyes lifted and followed to the source of the voice—a young man with distinctive peacock likeness. His voice shaky, he said, "Please stop." He hurried into the boutique and kneeled before Jean. A gentle hand on his father's back, Jae said, "I'll tell you everything."

 **.**

"Mother, I refuse to live with you."

A melodramatic screech left Shari. As she faked a collapse against the office boutique's wall, Jae played with the eyeball-looking feathers in his hair.

"Father may attract the love and attention of others, but you crave for it, have an obsession for it to survive," he said through clamped lips. Dana glanced to Rosy, whose great smirk confirmed he'd suspected something along the lines. "You treat me as though I am both your child and your object. You feed me, but you only give me what aesthetically matches a peacock. You clothe me, but you choose what goes on my body. You love me, but you only love to draw attention to my peacock part."

Not even a second afterward, Shari shouted, "Tha—That's—absurdity of it all!"

"Cruel," whispered Jelina to Sangjae.

He nodded. His grip with Guineung tightened. Guineung looked to Dana, who was tapping the inside of her elbow.

"When you and Father divorced, I didn't understand why. I saw that you loved him very much, but now," Jae laughed, his hand lowered to his mouth. Jean placed a comforting hand onto his son. "But now, everything makes sense. You loved him like you love me."

"Jae, honey, please listen to yourself! Your father has twisted—"

When he stood, the feathers from his hair and back began to ruffle and stand on its own. Like his father, he exuded something very prominent, but for Jae, that was confidence. "And I won't endure it any longer. I can't go on as your flaunted, proud possession or I'll go insane. I want to live with Father."

"You all!" she said, hurling her bag into the heroes' direction. With Rosy as her victim, Shari cried, "He's only a child! He must come home with me! He belongs with me!"

A moment passed as Rosy sniggered, before bellowing into full-blown laughter. In a corner, Dana also made written note of that before he said, "Shari, darling, I don't know what to say." Arms-out, Rosy shrugged but his shoulders were still shaking. "Jae is your son, we all know. And I know you got that court order, but even if you drag Jae back to where he 'belongs,' we will never let that happen."

"How dare you call yourselves heroes?!"

Tossing her hair back, Jelina said, "Jae, is this what you want, or is your father putting you up for this?"

"I want this. I want this very much."

"Jae," started Sangjae, clenching his hold onto Guineung. "Is there evidence you have to support that your mother is abusive?"

He stammered, and flattened his feathery hair. "I—I think so."

"My beautiful Jae!"

Shari must had seen one too many dramas, because she just performed a real-life faint. No one caught her so she splayed against the nice, mahogany-colored carpet. From above, relief flooded Jean's eyes as he hugged Jae. The image of him now exuded the still standing student who rose above his overbearing mother.

"Well, there's that!" sniggered Rosy. Before the calculating Dana, he planted both hands onto his hips. Behind him, Jelina and Sangjae had propped Shari against an armchair as Guineung fanned her awake. "How'd you think I did, Vice Chief?"

 **.**

"You promoted him?" Luda said.

Dana nodded, eyes briefly meeting hers. "Not me directly, I just said that he should be." As Luda bit into Dana's chocolate muffin, Dana said, "His gut is like mine. Points him into the right direction." Since her fingers were busy poring over the missing Sunbaenim case, Luda moved the muffin before Dana's mouth. After swallowing her bite, Dana continued, "He might be annoying, but he's a good hero. Well, he volunteered his team to find Doyoung-sunbaenim."

The café nearest Luda's work had the best muffins, which was how Dana agreed to this location. Breaking off a piece, Luda nibbled on the chocolate bit. Crumbs littered the table, so she shoved them into a napkin. "The hero who went missing?"

"Yeah. His daughter said she arranged a meet-up with someone whose heading their own investigation. I think she said that someone was his brother…" A broken-off muffin was offered to Dana. She leaned forward, bit into it, and waved her hand. "You can have the rest."

"Aww, I couldn't. Maybe I should. Ah, I'm going to the gym later anyway," Luda said.

Her forehead furrowed. "Magical girls exercise regularly?"

"Yeah?" giggled Luda, head tilted. "We even went through intense self-defense training before we allowed to 'graduate.' For one, we don't know what we're gonna get ourselves into, and two, in case it is the dangerous stuff, we have'ta be prepared!"

Even in her seat, a magical girl had to strike a pose. Luda's bubbly face reminded Dana of a cartoon, of like a happy-go-lucky bunny rabbit who wanted to help everyone and everything.

Sniggering to herself, Dana reached for a finger-gunned hand. She unfurled the fingers, before planting a kiss to Luda's palm. "Do what duty calls," she said, coolly returning to her work. There was a stranger's hammering heart resounding in her head. "But I don't want to see you get too hurt, alright?"

A hue similar to her ballet slipper-painted fingernails brushed across Luda's cheek. "Uh-huh." Standing up abruptly, she speed-ate the rest of her muffin and said, "I'm gonna buy more."

After watching her successfully stumble her way to the cashier, Dana really had to focus on the case. Snow was very thorough, giving exact times and copies of Doyoung's and their text exchanges, along with a bunch of other official evidence. Apparently, the last sighting of Doyoung-sunbaenim was at his lab. There was even a screenshot from a CCTV that pictured him running out of his laboratory, and on his phone. It was a shame the recording couldn't pick up anything of his conversation.

Fatigue suddenly settled onto her shoulders. Rubbing her eyes, Dana closed the case, and checked the time. Amazing. Three hours were gone, just talking to Luda. Honestly, she should be on her way home, but. Her stare narrowed in thought. Those three hours were mostly spent reading the case. Luda was the patient one who didn't talk much about herself, really, she listened.

Another hour here couldn't hurt then.

When Luda came back with two drinks, Dana tucked away her hero stuff into her bag and said, "How was yours?"

"Mine?"

"Your day?" clarified Dana.

She gasped, and folded her fingers around her coffee. "It was good. Nothing too special. Just saving other gals who were being followed by nasty men." She stuck her tongue out like a kitten. Dana couldn't resist a small smile. "Usually for these situations, we don't charge them for calling us. So, y'know, it really did feel like my heart warmed up when I told these poor university girls they can call anytime."

"How heroic, unnie," said Dana.

"I know, right? Being a magical girl is totally what TV makes it out to be!" A bouncy beam reflected in Luda's smile as she heard Dana laugh again, behind a raised fist. "Though I do wonder how it's like to handle the big stuff like you and Lila."

A cup of coffee appeared out of nowhere for Dana. Though Luda had been eying it several times, Dana finally picked it up. "Like what?"

"Handling mass murderers, drug busts, pet shop rings…" listed off Luda with her manicured fingers. "And then murderer groups like KNIFE."

Her hearing couldn't be fooling her. Dana said, "What did you say?"

"Handling mass murderers—"

"No, the last sentence."

"And then murderer groups like KNIFE?"

"Yeah… Yeah that." Nerves like hummingbird wings, Dana had to control herself from sparking anticipation all over the place. "What do you know about KNIFE?"

There was a dramatic difference to Dana's voice, Luda knew. She slowed her pronunciation and said, "I… I don't know much? There was only that one time a girl got mixed up in a murder like years before I did. I heard this story from Manager-oppa. Some big-name business guy called for help, but when she got there, there was this other guy, see." Hands flying in gesticulations, Luda talked and Dana leaned into her story. "He didn't end up hurting her since his job was done. He killed whoever called my senior. She told Manager-oppa that he looked like an angel, with white hair and white wings and these sky-blue, cold, _cold_ eyes. But, like, also covered in blood so an angel of death?"

"Osu's guardian," muttered Dana.

Lost, Luda blinked. "What was that?"

"What else?"

She drank a sip of coffee first, eyes roving to the side. Then she said, "I think she said the angel-guy told her something." Of course she was going to say what, so Dana stayed quiet, waiting. "She said she probably would have remembered if he didn't knock her unconscious."

A fist slammed the table. Luda was lucky she held her coffee, but not for Dana's. A hiss passed through gritted teeth as Dana collected to sop off the mess, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Hey," called Luda. One hand soothed Dana's heated head as the other finished cleaning up. "Manager-oppa tells us that story so we would stay away from KNIFE. But, y'know, I wanted to know a little more so I asked Lila about it."

"Did she tell you anything?" blurted Dana.

A moment passed when Luda disposed of coffee-soaked napkins. Her smile bright, she said, "Nope. It's all confidential. KNIFE is like the hugest deal to them, apparently." Opposite her, a beacon of hope shattered in Dana's eyes. However, Luda clasped her hands and gave her still eye-to-eye smile. "But y'know, while Lila didn't tell me anything, I think I can still help." A perfectly timed wink sent toward Dana, which almost dazzled her.

An arm rubbing her eyes, Dana said, "How?"

"Well, umm, I can say that Lila spent some nights at my place. Some nights taking place after a particular drug bust." Almost immediately, someone relit the beacon and Dana clutched her hands over Luda's. "And I might have distracted her enough that she forgot about them?"

"Really?"

"Mhm. When we broke up, she had a list of stuff she wanted back, but those files weren't part of it. I was going to give it to her, but I found them under my bed, like, just last week."

Dana's jaw dropped, just enough to slightly part her lips. "Aha."

Grinning now, Luda said, "So I misled this whole night a bit. I wanted to give you the files in the end, so I had to kill that cute hopeful look in your eyes a bit." A sort of annoyed amusement layered onto Dana's excited expression. "Sorry, love. But they're all yours if you want them?"

Suddenly, she rubbed her neck, bit her tongue between her teeth. "I want to, but Dune did say I shouldn't involve myself with KNIFE…"

"I guess I can return them to Lila."

"No, don't!" she shouted. Much more collected, Dana said, "I want them."

Luda laughed, "They're yours! But on one condition…"

"What's that?"

"I'm feeling shaved ice tonight?"

Eyes narrowed into a smile, Dana laughed, more so out of relief, "So do I."

 **.**

According to Doyoung Junior, the head of Doyoung Senior's investigation would be meeting them at the laboratory. As the last recorded site of his presence, Dana had never been there before. She did work at SPOON for like a year, but was never called to the lab side. That was a good thing since a distinct, chemical scent flowed within the general area as Rosy drove them to the designated location.

"Ugh, can the windows go any higher?" said Jelina, her tentacle-hair tied across her nose.

"They cannot," Rosy snickered.

From beside him, Dana was reviewing the notes for one last time. She hadn't exactly picked them up ever since her date with Luda. She was busy. Work, Guineung, Luda, Dune's wedding, and on top of all that, the gap between her and Osu widened. When she told him how well her first date went, he simply said, "That's nice."

 _That's nice?_ Who the hell was she? A neglected runt of overworked parents?

Her irritation level suddenly soaring, she slammed her folder shut. Out of the corner of his eye, Rosy saw that and said, "You okay, Vice Chief?"

"Fucking peachy."

"Aah…" Sangjae mouthed to speak up, but locked his lips shut when Dana glanced back. "I can't help it, Vice Chief."

"Block it out."

"Okay," he said, reaching back for his earbuds.

Peeking between the driver and passenger seat, Jelina asked, "So what's the plan?"

"I think Doyoung mentioned this person was Sunbaenim's brother. We're probably on the same page as him since most of this information is his," started Dana, and opened the case file again. "There's no explanation needed between us so we'll just go in and see if we find anything. If we find anything, we send it to Snow for data, and meet up again." She flipped to the screenshot of Doyoung-sunbaenim running out the front doors. "If we don't, then we meet up again, hopefully with a different plan."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh." A lock of tentacle-hair poked Doyoung's grainy face. "Where do you think he is?"

Sangjae popped out his earbuds and gave first guess, "I Love My Daughter convention?"

Rosy seconded his own. "It's personal, so he's probably kicking secret ass."

Dana had to put in, "If he's kicking ass, then Sunbaenim is dead."

"I heard he frequents the mountain area so maybe his crops are dying?" said Jelina.

"Couldn't he at least tell his daughter that?" chortled Rosy, resisting to hide his toothy grin when he was driving.

"True… Maybe they're like experimental, life-or-death vegetation?"

Sangjae shook his head. "He would still tell Doyoung that."

"Who knows! There has to be some stuff he has to hide from her!"

"Like deadly plants?"

"Look," Dana interrupted. Not far enough that one would have to squint, there was a white modern-looking building. A sign was posted, which read **Doyoung Labratories.** "We're here."

After parking and heading into the building, Dana pulled out her phone. Rosy's team was behind her, continuing the discussion from the car. From what Doyoung said, the investigation head was to be waiting in the lobby, which meant—

Dana yelled, "You there!"

A young man turned around, appearing somewhat startled. The first thing was that he didn't look like Doyoung-sunbaenim's brother at all. No resemblance whatsoever, except maybe the level of attractiveness? Second was that he didn't look like someone who could manage a missing person—much less a hero's—case. Dana could tell that he had no experience with either someone or some hero that had gone missing. But then he relaxed a bit, and forwarded them with long strides.

"Ooh." Jelina's eyes sparkled. "He's my type. Why is Sunbaenim's brother my type?"

"He's good-looking, but he looks like a kid," commented Sangjae.

The last of them, Rosy was shockingly the least intimidating. "Hello hello again."

Once he was within listening distance, he gave an uneasy smile toward Rosy and flickered his eyes from them to the ground. It was like he predicted the bombarding of questions;

"Are you really Sunbaenim's brother?"

"How old are you?"

Head cocked, Dana asked, "What's your name?"

A moment stalled as he twiddled with straight bangs. "No," he said, beginning to curl in himself. "I'm not Hyungnim'th brother. Not blood-related. And I—uhh—I'm eiwhtween-yearth-old." As Sangjae and Jelina stared at him with bemusement, Dana crossed her arms in silence. "My name ith Thatha."

"…What what?"

Snorting snickers under his breath, Rosy roared, "He said Sasa, you dumbbells!"

—

* * *

 **a/n:** he's here! m'raven son! is anyone as excited as i am?

all my gratitude to my beta **Eternal Nocturne** , and my amazing readers, **Siena** & **SmolAsianBean** (hey your top 3 made it here now :D).


	13. i know, so i struggle to let you go

**.**

 **13\. i know, so i struggle to let you go**

 **.**

"Wa-wait," stammered Sasa, shielding his face with a raised arm. Rosy's team plus Dana stared at him skeptically. "I'm not eiwhtween, uhh." With his other arm, he raised three, then four fumbling fingers to himself. Though it hard to tell or hear as his wings began to close around him, they thought his lips moved to say, "I'm nintween-yearth-old."

Patting his shoulder, Rosy said, "Hey, guy, take it easy?"

His wings ruffling, he gave a timid nod.

"Hey," started Dana, her arms never having uncrossed. Shaky even now, Sasa swallowed. "Are you more comfortable speaking or writing stuff down?" From the folder, she produced blank pages and tapped at them.

Considerate was the least he'd expected of her, but he appreciated it. The tension in his shoulders visibly lessened, and he replied, "I can thpeak."

"So how do you know Sunbaenim?" blurted Jelina.

"He'th my…" he trailed off, somehow unable to grasp the right word. "My mentor?"

As Jelina whispered to Sangjae rapidly, Rosy slung an arm around Sasa and grinned in his secretive slyness. "Started without us?" Short, he shook his head. "Great! Let's get this case solved, and Sunbae un-missed!"

"You mean found?"

"Un-missed, found, here, there, it's all the same!"

Striding to Sasa's side, Dana spoke to him, "You have any idea where to start?"

He nodded. "I wath dinking hith of-pith? The camera thowed that wath hith lath location before he wan off."

A millisecond passed as Dana pressed her fist to her taut jaw. For the most part, her mind worked to register what he said, before Sangjae piped up, "His office."

She snapped her fingers. "Let's go."

Rosy's team plus Dana followed Sasa to Doyoung's office, since he apparently been a few times. It was a mess, and from the staff, left exactly that way per Doyoung's instructions. Although they were sure he wouldn't mind if messing it around would help find him. He would probably be grateful to come back to his laboratory, still disorganized, just a little bit more. Then agfain, Dana couldn't make any promises that they would mess around 'a little bit more.'

"Jelina, careful!" gasped Sangjae. Her tentacle-strands would zip through papers, leaving them to litter the already littered floor. Careful, his hands hovered away from her and rather clumped them into a disorganized pile. "We're supposed to leave it as it is."

She barely glimpsed at him. "What difference does it make?"

"Uhh…"

"She got you there. By the way, I can't read of these," Rosy sniggered, pointing to the floor covered to the inch of papers. "I'm pretty sure I failed chemistry twice."

"Same here!" gasped Jelina.

Her hands gripping the edges of the desk, Dana leaned her back against it. "You don't have to read those." From her jacket, she retrieved the folder and waved it. They heard a fluttering noise. "Remember the CCTV? Before Sunbaenim received a call, he was doing something." Rosy's team lifted their eyes upward in thought. In the same direction, Dana's eyes rolled, but then she called, "Sasa, did you find anything?"

"Almoth," he said, kneeling down to a locked drawer.

Beside him, Rosy said, "He was counting his valuables?"

A light bulb would've sparked over Sangjae's head. After reading Sasa's mind, he recalled, "He was handwriting something before the call, and after that, he placed the something into his drawer."

Also beside Sasa, Jelina tilted her head. "Four number combination?"

Instantly, there was a heroes' synchronization of, "Doyoung's birthday."

"Shit," hissed Dana. "It's coming up, but I don't remember."

"Same here."

"Third."

"Kinda thought Sunbae would be keeping us on a daily update by now."

To the majority's surprise, there was a victorious click. With a fluid flick of his wrist, Sasa pried the drawer open. Before anyone could ask, he pulled out the inside contents, which consisted of an unsealed envelope, a self-sealed folder, and a photo album with the same thickness of a dictionary.

At once, they set the photo album aside. The unsealed envelope was the item in question as Dana could remember Sunbaenim placing a single paper inside one.

Not the only one, Sasa lifted it first up and read the envelope's title aloud, " _I'm thorry_."

"To who?" Jelina said, peeking over Sasa's shoulder. He pulled out the letter Doyoung was writing from the CCTV. "Hey—"

A hand masked Rosy's smirk. "It's empty."

"We clearly saw him writing, before he got the call," said Sangjae. Though he had his second guesses when Dana flicked open the folder, and need only to meet his eyes. "Ah, or not."

She flipped the paper around, toward Jelina, Rosy, and Sasa. It was a handwritten document of what Doyoung what doing each minute in the CCTV. As the writer, Sasa recalled his notes, "At minute thirteen, he'd crumpued up the page he'd witten, and puwled owt a new one."

They stared at the wastebasket, like a water glass almost to topple, but with tons and shit tons of paper.

"Aw'l' do it," said Sasa, and kneeled down beside it.

Eager as ever, Rosy joined him and began to small talk in hushed voices. Strange. Obviously, they were acquainted before this meeting, maybe through Doyoung himself, but before Dana could ask, Sangjae and Jelina called her over.

They tried not to pry, but the curiosity shined in their stares. The sealed envelope nudged in her direction. "Check the bottom," said Jelina. Sangjae nodded. "That's for you."

"For me?"

Weirdly enough, there was her name signed at the bottom. Except it wasn't her name name—just **Vice Chief** in bolded letters—but whatever could Doyoung want with her?

A tentacle-hair poked her jacket. "You forgot!" Even now, Dana was forgetting what she had forgotten. Jelina said, "That day I came to complain to you about Rosy!" A finger to his mouth, Sangjae hissed in warning, though Rosy appeared to be in deep conversation. And Dana was in deep thought, attempting to remember. "Before that, I told you Doyoung needed to talk to you! As soon as possible?"

"Ah, right." For something meant to be 'as soon as possible,' the folder weighed like nothing at all. "I was never going to contact him."

"Might be important."

"I'm with Sangjae."

Before Dana could open it, Rosy and Sasa stood up abruptly. In Sasa's hands was the missing paper, though covered with crumples. "It wath near the trath can," he laughed. Rolling her eyes, Dana could practically feel the adoration radiating from Jelina. "Thith ith a very perthonal letter."

Her grip on Doyoung's folder loosened. "You think it's relevant to his disappearance?"

He glanced to Rosy for some reason. He snickered and shrugged. Without a doubt, they were withholding something from her, though Dana trusted them it was for good reason. If not, they were gonna suffer, and like her bloodlust was oozing off of her, Sasa took a step back. His left wing shoved Rosy to do the same before he grasped the discarded letter to his chest.

"I think it doeth," admitted Sasa.

As though close to bursting at the seams from laughter, Rosy said through a bared grin, "You hear that? We got a lead on finding Sunbae!"

"There'th thill no name on it."

"We got a shitty lead!"

"Can we read it?" His bobbed head bobbing, Sasa handed the page to Sangjae.

Jelina and Dana read over his shoulder. Whoever it was addressed to, it did sound pretty personal, so Dana stopped after the first sentence. Seeing that she found something as well, Rosy pointed it out. "What's that?"

"It's for me."

"But what's inside?"

"Are you interrogating me?"

"Okay then," he chortled, backing off.

Dana opened it. There had to be a good reason why he would deem this matter ASAP, and apparently it may not be ASAP enough. The front page just said **You're Welcome** in size two-hundred font, so she shoved it back inside. She didn't care. Especially when Rosy was close to having his funny bone ripped out, but beside him, Sasa was more somber than before.

Watching him, she waved the photo album. "Should we put this back?"

His head began the gesture for yes, but then shook shortly. "I tink hith daughter woud want it."

"You take it to her then." The album was tossed in his direction, and he caught it smoothly with one hand. Although, almost immediately, he dropped it and Rosy burst into another laugh attack.

Ignoring his hysterical leader, Sangjae returned the letter to Sasa. Arms crossed, Jelina said, "I have no clue who that'd be addressed to."

"Right," said Dana. "Anyone think there's any other clues in here?"

"After his call, he locked up a blank envelope, then he upped and out of here," said Rosy with his most level-headed expression. Still grinning, he motioned to the door. "It didn't look like he stopped to chat, but the CCTV didn't have audio, didn't it?"

"Split up. Each of us can take a small section of his route-out."

Luckily for her, Dana was assigned the current floor of where his office was. After everyone else headed for their respective location, she wrote down the people for inquiry. Which, according to the CCTV, those who saw him run from his office to the stairs door was his right-hand assistant, a small group of his lab staff, and then the custodian.

These were her findings;

"I was coming into his office to inform him of an upcoming experiment," the assistant recalled. "We were supposed to be on our way to laboratory #13, but he just slammed the door in my face, and made a run for it. The only word he said to me was 'sorry.'"

The small group were even more perplexed. "He knocked me down like—like a raging bull in the face of red! Haha, perhaps not the same vehemence, but that geezer-genius has some strength," one of them chuckled. "He said sorry, and continued to run off, but that's about it."

"Doyoung-sunbaenim? Who's that?" the janitor said, squinting at Dana.

"The man who owns the paper-room on this floor."

"Oh, him." The janitor put her headphones back on, and continued to mop the floors. She sure knew how to hold a conversation, and it was a shame that Dana also didn't feel like talking to strangers.

Since she was done, she called the others to regroup. When they gathered back altogether on the first floor, they relayed the answers they collected. And they came to one conclusion:

If in a hurry, Doyoung will not hesitate to assume the persona of a bowling ball.

 **.**

"It's getting a bit chilly, and Guineung doesn't have any winter clothes," said Osu. A hand raking back her hair, Dana cradled her phone between her shoulder and cheek. Her laptop screened that she got a new email. "I'll be taking him to the markets now. Maybe a half hour to an hour?" It'd been a few says since, but now Sasa had emailed her to suggest another day at the laboratory. He had some unexplained suspicions. "It won't be too long to find him a suitable overcoat. Make sure for tomorrow he wears the lighter one I had dry-cleaned earlier?"

"Yeah," she said, clicking reply.

As she replied to Sasa's email, Osu finally said, "I'll be there to drop Guineung soon. I'm afraid he might've caught a cold. Will you still be home?"

"Does it matter? You find your way in, with or without me."

A pause. "It matters to me," he mumbled.

"What?"

"It matters to him."

"I'll be here at my place. Right here where you want me, alright?" If possible, it felt like he was sending a ray of delight through the phone lines. Dana scowled. "So you can stop your simpering."

"Thank you, Dana-ssi."

There was a note of amusement, which didn't nearly piss her off as much. Not anymore. "Sure. I'll see you later."

"Be sure to take a break, Dana-ssi," he said, like always. "Later then."

Then resume hero overtime for a case she was not paid to do. Knuckles cracking, she stretched against her couch, before replying to Sasa. Rosy's team should be okay with it, especially Rosy himself, but she wasn't sure how far they would get. Like he said, a shitty lead is a shitty lead, even with suspicions. Though it'd be nice to think best case scenario was within reach, that by tomorrow, Doyoung-sunbaenim would safe and sound.

Not before she knocked him into the next universe for making his daughter worry until the same universal vicinity, but that should be just between her and him.

Ugh, thinking like this was a workout. Being a hero was physically exhausting, but was also a major pain on the mind. The palm of her hand rubbed against her temple, and she breathed a low grown. Good thing she finished sending that email. Now all she had to do was wait with all this rare free time on her hands.

"Should've read that dumb thing," she muttered to herself. From her briefcase, she pulled out the sealed envelope from Doyoung's desk. It slipped, wavered to under the couch. "Oh, fuck me." She'd kill for a Bacchus right now, but Osu was supposed to buying a new pack hours ago. So she had to make do with whacking her cheeks until she was down and back up with the folder. "Wasn't worth this."

The same page with **You're Welcome** in obnoxiously large letters glared at her. The sight made her eyes ache, so she shut them tight. It would only take a moment's rest for her to regain her energy. So she decided after a minute, she'd open her eyes again, refocused and everything.

Probably a minute later was interrupted by knocking at the front door. She stifled a yawn into her hand as she placed the folder aside, and strode to her door.

Her visitor was bright-eyed Luda. In her hands was a black gift bag. "Hi!"

Leaning against the doorframe, Dana repeated, "Hi?"

"I got it!" She thrusted the bag toward her crossed arms. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Dana's eyebrow quirked in confusion. "Lila's files on the past drug bust?"

"Oh… _Oh_ ," breathed Dana. She was awake. Didn't need the Bacchus now. "These're it?"

"Those are it! Everything known about KNIFE before bust, and everything after bust! Though I've only read a bit on the before so I can't spoil to you about the after. Hehe."

Dune was probably gonna be some ways upset with her, but right now, a sort of euphoria arose to acquire information he kept from her. Granted, KNIFE at whole probably wasn't her problem, but she had a bone to pick with a few members. Okay, maybe just Osu.

Well, drug lord and all, he sure didn't look or act like one. Not anymore, at least, since it had been a while for her to catch him being illegal or life-threatening, but Osu was a bad guy. A outlier bad guy who really was really good for Guineung, and if he wasn't lying to her, there was nothing to gain from helping her out with Guineung. Something like doing it out of the goodness of his heart sounded like an oxymoron, but he did say something about morals and bad guys.

Shit.

"Dana? You okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," she said and placed the KNIFE files on a shoe cabinet. Both hands tucking her hair back, Dana suggested, "You know what, let's go out. The night feels good enough, and—let's go." Her hand was already pulling on Luda's arm, and she had stopped still. "Shit, am I being pushy?"

"No, no." Luda pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips. "It's just I've never seen you so ready to hang out?"

"What? But I'm always ready."

"Mhm." To match, she linked her arms with Dana, and gave a dazzling smile. "You sure you can hang out? It looks like you were in the middle of work."

At once, she glanced back into her house. A couple of folders and her laptop were out. So what? "Hold on," Dana said, pulling away from her, and left to check her computer. Nothing from Sasa. So she grabbed her jacket on her way out and re-linked with Luda. "Yeah, I'm good."

 **.**

These kinds of nights were the best. Just when dusk had fallen for just enough that the last smidgens of warm colors edged the horizon. But then the sky. A soft, inky blue blanketed above, so if you were to squint hard enough, the stars were beginning to be visible.

"I think that one's a plane."

Dana shrugged. "Not much of an astronomer anyway."

"Vice Chief Dana of SPOON, heroes for one and for all," Luda faux-declared, waving her free arm before them. "But also not much of an astronomer."

Dana laughed, because it was funny if Luda said it. "Pretty much."

"I think your astronomy skills are wonderful."

"Uhh. Thanks." Briefly, her eyes left the sky to check out their surroundings. They've been walking around for tonight's impromptu date, and it was nice. She got to hear more of Luda's day and past week, which was something Dana had been meaning to do.

"Alrighty then," said Luda, spanning out her arms. "You've made it home!"

They'd made it back to her front door, like she said. "Yeah, thanks, unnie. I had a nice time with you."

Accompanied by a wink, she said, "Likewise." There were very few who could have Dana smiling in return. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Later," said Dana, and patted her hands onto Luda's shoulders.

There was really no reason for Dana to be holding her. Maybe because Luda was shorter, but she supposed it was an age thing. But then none of that was relevant when her hands finally left her shoulders the millisecond after she kissed her.

"So, uhh," mumbled Dana, all of the sudden. Pink bloomed beneath her squinted stare. "Call me when you're home?"

Luda resisted to touch her mouth, and blinked. "Yes."

"Cool. See you." After shutting the door, she whispered to herself in half-pissed, half-not-pissed ramblings until she reached her bedroom. The back of her hand against her lips, she needed a moment to flare down. She was fine, totally fine. "Guineung?" she called from behind the door. "Is Osu with you? Guineung?"

Of course, he was asleep, she found out and ran her fingers through his fluffy hair. Osu was nowhere to be found in her room. As he should be, since he did know about her reservations about him being in her room. Great. He wasn't playing mom in the kitchen either, so she checked the balcony. "Osu, are you out here?" she called. No one still, and for some reason, now she decided to check her phone. "Where the fuck—Oh."

The time.

Incredibly, it was off. According to her, she closed her eye for just a minute before Luda arrived. Then they spent like an hour walking and talking around. But that didn't appear so. According to the time, she probably fell asleep for like an hour, then received a missed message that Luda was coming over, then went out with her for like hours.

Then meant Osu left hours ago.

Curses released under her breath. Eyes hard, she leaned forward onto the balcony railings. Below, not beyond. There was a community playground, and no kid was allowed out there this late. Unless you're not a kid, which Dana couldn't bring herself to believe.

The loner on the swing set was him, as Dana thought. The sight of him gripping the ropes was exactly how she'd pictured him. A kid, though he mentioned he was older than her. There was another perspective too; the sight of him not even pushing himself off, his gaze fixated on his ground-bound feet.

When she stood before him, she said, "You okay?"

A moment passed before he said, "You forgot."

"About?"

"How right you are." Instead of meeting her, he gazed away from her, skyward to smattering of lights that were probably stars. "Does it matter?"

"Don't start this shit with me," she groaned. As with all arguments, she crossed her arms and stood her ground. "I got it. I forgot I was supposed to wait for you. But it's not like you were stranded out there. You still haven't told me your villainous ways to get inside my house—"

Osu laughed. "How is my case going?"

"Made progress just today."

"Close to cracking me out?"

Not that much progress, but Dana lied, "You should expect it any day."

"You've been working on that for quite a while, Dana-ssi."

"Look, you're my case, but I have others too, you know? Chief doesn't think of you much of a priority when compared to my other work, especially when this should really be POT's." She shrugged and leaned against the swing set's pole. Kinda cold, but nowhere near as frigid as the look he was giving her. "Plus, I don't know, I am going to be the one to bust your case, but lately, I don't feel like _I have to_ —"

"Of course."

"I am going to catch you."

"Of course. Because I am your priority."

There was something spine-tingly the way he said it, but she thought of him another way. "A priority as in my case."

Again, another shot of feeble laughter. Though, if anything, it sounded like what laughing shouldn't be like. "Godt, Dana-ssi, I never thought of the day I would hear you lie so openly, so obliviously."

Irritation level was set to somewhere in the thousands. "I'd lie to you about almost everything, but I'm not now."

"Stop lying to me," he spat, emphasized as his shoe jabbed the ground.

A vein pulsed below her right eye. Though there was something off about him so she attempted to make right. "What's going on with you? I skipped out on you, okay, I'm sorry."

"That apology is part of the nothing you spill."

She snorted a laugh. "So my apologies don't mean shit to you?"

"They don't if they mean the same to you."

"Osu," Dana began again, and counted to three before saying, "I really am sorry."

"Are you really?"

Sincerity never bled so blatantly from her lips before. "I'm sorry, Osu."

His head tilted to the side, and he sighed. "It's all nothing."

Now he was just spouting nonsense. And, truth be told, she was earnest the third time around. "What'd you even mean?"

Almost unnoticeably, for him at least, Osu continued to dig his shoe the dirt into a shoe-sized hole. "You don't mean any of it. You won't mean any of it. I suppose that's what happens when," he coughed, and shuddered, "when I mean so little. Or, more accurately, I am nothing at all."

"Osu, I swear if you don't talk to me in real fucking words—"

"I can't." He came onto his feet and crossed his arms from the chill. He wasn't dressed to be waiting out this late at night. Who said he was to wait? "I thought you were different but I thought wrong." On a loose end, he sorta-explained, "For a moment, I truly believed I could trust you. But, in the end, I can't. You're like the rest of them, and I suppose you were right."

At a loss, Dana said, "Osu?"

"I don't know your type at all, nothing close to myself at all," he laughed. It broke off with an abrupt sob. "I can't bear to speak with you any longer."

"Hey, Osu—"

A robed sleeve rose, acting to mask his unknown expression. In a voice she never heard before, he said, "Yet I'm dying to know… What am I?"

Maybe months ago, she would've wrote villain on his forehead. Without hesitation, without a doubt. But that was months ago, and he'd crossed onto unconventional territory that wasn't entirely villain-like. Hell, there was an option now to say something good even, which made her gut beat itself up. Though, in the end, it was all true.

Her head aching, she opted to retort, "You're not nothing."

"What am I?" His sleeve lowered to his side. Dana stared. He looked like he was about to cry. "What am I to you?"

This wasn't anything like the past few times. The night breeze swept between them, doing nothing for the sun's temporary move inside her head. The booming blaze of a star sounded like her erratic heartbeat, insufferable like the heat. It was hot, so hot like she was melting from within, and she splayed her hand over her collarbones. Perspiration coated there, making her exhale with exertion, and it was simply a lot.

The past few times were added cases to solve, but with this, Dana had a lead.

"Dana-ssi?" The sight of him standing alone with a child's swing set behind was pathetic, yes, but consider this; his offside gaze doing nothing to stop his tears from rolling. Down the soft curves of his pinked cheeks, and it was a moment of vulnerability if she ever saw one. "Dana-ssi, I see how it is then."

Though he made to leave, Dana shouted the first buzz word fried from her dying-star brain, "Cute."

They both froze. Their eyes even locked, which meant she had to pull off the master of mastered expressionless expressions. Perfect for saying she didn't care that she called him what others would call of woodland animals. But it was Osu who grew tired and said, "Goodbye, Dana."

And though her gut told her otherwise—she let him go.

 **.**

For his third week at SPOON interning, Guineung was getting the hang of it. His duties so far were mostly relating to being Dana's secretary. She didn't have one, so the spot was open for him. She told him he was doing well, though he couldn't tell if she was just saying that. Sure, his past was certainly fucked up, but if he was being praised, he wanted to be praised for his genuine effort.

Usually, she spent half time doing hero's fieldwork, the other half doing paperwork or meeting people. Of course, she enjoyed the fieldwork more, but nowadays, she wasn't doing much of anything.

He wondered if it had to do with Osu-hyung's disappearance.

"Vice Chief!" Jelina popped in with a cloth-wrapped package, along with Rosy. "Your daily lunch is here again."

She was filling in a report on her desktop, and paused move some of her desk stuff. "Over here. Guineung, eat up."

He did as he was told and waved at Jelina. She was nice enough to share his lunch, but Rosy was too much of a tease. Guineung stuck his tongue at him, nudging Jelina to do the same, as he unclothed his lunchbox. There was a sticky note on top. It wasn't until after his disappearance that Guineung was receiving these as well.

As always, Jelina offered, "Want me to read it?" He nodded, handing it to her, before she read aloud, "I put in extra bamboo shoots just how you like them. Eat your radishes. Learn a lot from SPOON. Ask questions. From Oh-Hyung. Hmm…" Surreptitiously, she chanced a glance toward her. "Dana?"

"What?"

She pulled out the bottom lunchbox, lovingly put together. "How come you never eat these? Like before they were being delivered too?"

"I don't know."

"It's 'cause she eats them in secret," snickered Rosy, stretching across to pluck the extra lunch from Jelina. With a flourish, he screwed off the top to reveal homemade food, still hot off some kitchen. "How could you resist not to?"

Eyes still on her computer, she lazily reached out her hand.

"Yes, ma'am." Rosy smirked as she positioned it on the side, all the while typing away. "So Sasa asked to meet back at the labs tomorrow?"

Jelina exclaimed, "I'm excited. I think we're gonna get somewhere this time!"

"Why?"

"Because? Sasa has a feeling, and it'd be cool if it was right. Like Vice Chief's!"

Their conversation becoming background noise, Dana reached for her ringing phone. It was the Chief's voice, maybe to yell at her recent decrease in work. It came as a surprise when he spoke in his gravelly tone upon her picking up, "Doyoung is back."

 **.**

Before they met him, she called Sasa as a respective member of Doyoung's search team. The emotions in his voice was overwhelming, but he said something along being there in some time. Soon for sure, he swore on it.

She and Chief stood side-by-side. They were quiet as the woman told them, "He's not pretty."

"Not anymore?" joked Dana.

Still as stone, Chief said nothing.

Neither of their responses meant they were ready but the woman pulled back the sheet.

Doyoung lay on the metal table, even though Dana wasn't even sure that really was him. The pathologist warned them. But she didn't go into detail of _this_. Dana grimaced as her eyes carefully scanned what once was her heroic senior. The left side of his jaw, appearing as layers of tissue and bone. "Acidic consumption," she told them. The multiple stab wounds lining his chest, some to expose the innards, some just—just to tally up. The arms where fire had feasted upon his flesh and collected his fingers. An entire leg gone, chopped right through bone and through. Bruises like body tattoos gathered in colored clusters, varying from sickly greens to deep, dark blues. "The inward bleeding was a complete mess," she whispered. But the funny thing of it all?

"Right here," the pathologist said, waving them to his head. Her pen lifted his bangs. "Cause of death was a bullet to the brain."

At that moment, Chief turned and left the room. Dana's teeth caught her tongue for a moment. Then she released and asked, "How… How did he survive this?"

"Next important point. See here, here, and here." Her pen pointed to the jaw wound, the finger burns, and the end of his leg-nub. "If you look closely, you can see that the flesh or the bone or the tissue, yes, those are some different, in a weird way, than other parts of the wounds."

"That means?" Dana asked, a white fist to her jaw.

"That means he survived because someone was healing him," she said, tapping her pen against her cheek. "They must be a real good one since he teetered with death with a lot of these. But it looks to me they were keeping him alive only to prolong the torture. That's my theory, but take it as it is."

"Vice Chief." Chief returned and refused to look other than her face. "His daughter is here."

"Shit," Dana sighed.

A drawn-out moment later, she met Doyoung in the mirroring room. Nothing appeared out of ordinary for her, but once in close quarters, it was obvious she'd already known. Her vacant stare was fixated upon the mirror. On the other side, the pathologist was positioned beside the body, recovered with the sheet. Even though Dana knew for a fact that corpse was Doyoung's father, she chose to say, "It's okay."

Doyoung was still in her uniform, and clutched the straps of her bag. Smile shaky, she said, "Okay."

Dana gave a short nod. On the other side, the pathologist drew back enough to show the head. The only response Dana noticed was the tightening of her bag straps. Then slowly, but surely, Doyoung nodded, and raised a hand to stifle her sobs. Unlike the Chief, she refused to look away, even as globs of tears completely clouded her vision. Dana could only wrap her arm around her. They spent a moment in silence, simply staring beyond him, before they heard a commotion.

"I'm hwere! Pleath open the door!" yelled a familiar voice. With her free arm, Dana let him in. "Where'th—"

"Sasa-ssi?" said Doyoung and raised her bag before her grief-stricken face.

"Doyoung-thi?" Breaths emitted from him like rapid-fire. "Where'th… That'th not…" He took a final, long look at the other side of the mirror. Like Doyoung, he'd been frozen at first, except perhaps the bob of his throat. Contrasting her, there was a faint swelling from below his eyes as he began to cry. "That coudn't be…" His shaky hand palmed the glass.

"Hyungnim?" he whispered.

Dana gritted her teeth. If there needed another moment of grief, then she'd allowed it. However, Sasa tore his gleaming gaze away. Tears poured as though they've hid behind a debilitated dam, but didn't stop as he asked Dana in all respect, "Pleath make me a THOON hero."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** i think it's a good time to announce my upcoming fic, which is a sasa prestory as to why he became a hero (since canon won't explain)— _speak_. it's not gonna be as long as this, but it's something i've been wanting to do c:

if y'all are excited about that or how this chapter went or anything really, click that mf _Review_ button.

thank thank thank to my beta **Eternal Nocturne** and my faithful readers **Siena** and **SmolAsianBean**.


	14. i used to know, but now,

**.**

 **14\. i used to know, but now that shit don't feel right**

 **.**

Funerals dragged, but this one in particular especially dragged.

Unfortunately, Dana had been to a funeral or five. But Doyoung-sunbaenim's was the worst for two reasons: one, he was a veteran hero so there were loads of depressing people shedding tears way too close to comfort, and two, he was one of the more acquainted heroes, as unbelievable as that was. Granted, she wasn't buddy-buddy with him, but it was gonna feel weird not to open his fifty my-daughter's-extraordinary-birthday-bash emails and then hit spam fifty times.

It already felt like with his death, there went a stupidly light-hearted atmosphere.

Not too far away, Sangjae tossed her a backward glance. Dana returned with a somber grimace. A sympathetic smile touched his face before he turned back to his team. With them was Sasa, who was whispering to a dour Doyoung.

"So what's gonna happen to her?" Dana asked the Chief.

Nothing changed upon his expression. Ever since he arrived, Dana noticed that the Chief somehow kept to a stupid vow not to reveal any emotion whatsoever. Like emotions were useless, anyway, there being so many of them was a nuisance. So he'd been wearing a frown the entire time, and still was, when he told her, "He had written for Snow to raise Doyoung and Reine. They will look over her well."

"Uh-huh." A sudden shriek-sob bombarded Dana's eardrums. A third reason she hated this funeral was because Doyoung's family was the worst mourners, or her hearing would say. Godt, if she had to spend one more damned second. "Chief, I gotta be excused for a minute."

As soon as she escaped to a near-empty hallway, Dana released a pent-up groan and crouched down to her knees. If Dune was here, she would be considering a cigarette, but then she remembered she wanted to live and breathe. Speaking of, he was pretty late. One glance to her watch told her he didn't want to come—he was never that fond of Doyoung-sunbaenim—but Dune was the sorta guy who'd mark his calendar anyway.

Tardy, yes, but Dune was a pretty good guy, now that Dana thought about him.

" _Ugh_ , is that Dana?"

But this guy—oh man, did the lowliest leveled scum of the earth have to come?

Turning to him with a sardonic smile, Dana drawled, "Hello, July."

"I haven't seen you in a good while. Thank my fortunes," he said. A dramatic sigh left his lips as he lay a poised hand against his posh, mourning suit. "I suppose Chief had agreed to my request. You know, I wished to cease seeing your vile visage."

"Really?" Dana replied dryly. "I'm pretty sure I asked first."

"You did not."

"Yes, I did."

" _You did not_."

"I'm not gonna repeat myself, you asshat," she snarled.

In the same tone as her, July snapped, "Chief is close to retirement."

Dana blanked. "What the fuck?"

"Of course, I've been here longer than you have so I'm aware. It's not surprising you are not." He chuckled, and if it was any second longer, his laugh would be lodged in his throat. "Doyoung-sunbae was one of the few senior heroes, I hope you know. But now that he's dead, it's beginning to dawn upon Chief that—"

Yawning, she said, "Don't care."

"Quiet," July hissed. Though his glare was nothing compared to hers, Dana thought once he was done spewing his dogshit, she could show him a mad dog's fist. "Before I was oh-so rudely interrupted, I was saying that Chief is realizing his place. That his place is wrong, that he feels wrong among a newer generation of heroes." Really, July could be talking about breaking info about the Oz, and she'd still be dying of boredom. Maybe that was his real superpower. "What I am trying to get through your thick skull is that Chief will be considering his successor in due time."

"Chief wouldn't give up being Chief just because an older hero died."

"You're missing the point, you dull dolt."

An apathetic glower wasn't enough to send him running. Trying something else, she said, "Maybe 'cause unlike you, I don't have time to be wasting with stupid theories and stupid promotions that aren't happening."

"What else can I expect? Be that way, wicked woman." July huffed on his heel, but halted mid-step to warn, "But when the time comes, you will be addressing me as Chief."

He didn't deserve a narrowed watch on his way out. As soon as he took his first step, Dana upped and returned to the funeral room. Still, the typical grieving noisiness reverberated throughout the room, still at top volume. Against the wall, Chief hadn't moved a muscle while she was gone. Though she was honored for his millisecond glance once she stood beside him again.

Since she zipped through the two topics she could share with the Chief, Dana checked her watch. A half hour now, and still no Dune. She could really use him to complain, specifically about that loser. Chief would just lecture until she and everyone else was dead so her mouth stayed shut.

But that wasn't good. If she was left alone for more than a minute, then her mind would wander to forbidden territory, onto lands of blue. Lucky for her, another topic just waltzed right into the room.

A veiled woman appeared to have floated into the funeral. Sophistication practically executed from every tiny movement, even though most of her was concealed with billowing black. Dana thought she might've been a ghost, which wouldn't be unusual at a memorial for the dead. But then that meant everyone's third eye and normal ones immediately locked onto her. The whispering elevated to an audible smattering of conversations.

"Is that Yeongjeong-nim?" asked Dana. Of course, the Chief eyed the newcomer as well, if only briefly. "I thought she would be too busy to come?"

"I thought so too," the Chief said as Yeongjeong headed toward him.

A hybrid boy trailed behind her. Although he looked more about Doyoung's age as he bowed his pine-green head toward the Chief before Yeongjeong spoke, "It has been a while, Chief of SPOON." Side-eying her superior, Dana was a bit taken aback that he only grunted in response. "I see you are taking it well that you have one less hero to look after."

"He was capable of taking care of himself. You know that."

"I know his family is."

Finally, some emotion from Chief. The gnashing of his teeth was evident when she was right beside him. Having no reaction, Yeongjeong lifted her veil and faced Dana. Strange, when Dana recalled distantly that this lady was supposed to be like in her eighties. Or was it her nineties? As Dana tried not to look too long into her youthful appearance, Yeongjeong hummed, "Hmm." Her icy eyes sharpened upon Dana. "You must be the Vice Chief."

"Vice Chief Dana," she said, bowing at the waist.

Yeongjeong lifted demurred, angled fingers to her cheek. "How long have you been Vice Chief, Dana?"

"Some months past a year now?"

"An infant hero."

That must be an insult. Dana said, "With all due respect, Yeongjeong-nim, I've been fighting since I was in high school."

"I can see that your experience equates to very little, compared to some others," Yeongjeong murmured, tipping Dana's chin with gloved fingertips, "yet the fire in your eyes burns for eternity."

 _What the fuck does that mean?_ Contorted confusion passed over her momentarily before Dana said, "Thank you?"

Even though a small wanting to speak further tugged at Dana, she was grateful Yeongjeong faced the Chief again. This time, she addressed her guest with a gentle nudge. He offered another bow as Yeongjeong introduced him, "This is Songha. He has an excellent power and skill. It is my personal recommendation to position him as a SPOON hero."

Chief didn't even glance at him. "Is that why you organized your limited time to come here?" Moments passed as Yeongjeong stayed silent. "I can't take him. We just hired a new one." His thumb jabbed toward Sasa, still seated and now speaking comfortably with Rosy's team. "I wouldn't have accepted, but he was Doyoung's dying request."

Wait. Was that true? Dana wasn't aware, and she furrowed her forehead.

"It is my mistake. I am not recommending him to you, I am directing him over to you," Yeongjeong said, tugging her veil back on. Smoothly, Songha stepped back to his place beside her. "You will at least allow Songha to test his abilities."

If he could, Dana bet that Chief would roll his eyes. "Fine. Not right now though."

"Understandable. I must pay my respects now."

"You do that," Chief said, a hint of bitterness laced in his reply.

Before she did do that, she paused for a moment longer to say, "To an extent, I respected him."

It seemed Chief was okay with her having the last word. The interaction between these two was like something from the television dramas Luda liked to watch. Though she had better luck cracking the Oz case by tomorrow, Dana tried asking, "What was that all about?"

"When you recommended the raven boy, I had my doubts," Chief began to say. Not what she expected, but not like she could reply with that. "You told me that he wanted to be a hero. I think everyone wanted to a hero. Some endured and held that dream as close as they could. Those dreamers are among us today." A faded look in his eyes brought Dana to look away from Chief. "Some realized otherwise and dreamed of other paths. One of them died for us to gather today. It's tiresome," he said, and released a weary sigh, "Dana, I found it harder to believe that the boy wanted to be a hero because of Doyoung. I didn't believe you in any regard."

After a necessary pause, Dana said, "You changed your mind?"

Chief shook his head. "Ten years. He spent ten years on that boy. I suppose at some point, he supported a cursed dream." Honestly, Dana had no idea what he was talking about, except that Sasa told her he'd known Doyoung. Or he used to. "In his will, he wrote to me that he wanted the raven boy as hero. He'd even requested Rosy to be his direct sunbae."

"What a terrible choice."

"Dana." Addressing her by name meant shut-up-and-listen, which she obeyed very well. Only for the Chief, though. "He's dead. You cannot judge a dead man's choice. Anyway, if there's something you can take away from this, I want you to live without regrets, and—"

"Oh, shit. Dune's finally here." Dana shoved her phone back into her pocket. "Can I be excused, Chief?"

"…Go on ahead," he sighed.

 **.**

"Hey!" called Dana, skipping down the steps.

Outside the funeral building, Dune was on the phone while Claude waved a sleeved arm at Dana. He called back, "Hey Dana!"

He was as chipper as ever, even though the location was all wrong. But Dana had enough of that miserable atmosphere and said, "What's going on?"

"We're pushing back our wedding!"

"What?"

Lowering his phone, Dune interjected, "It's discourteous to hold a wedding a few weeks after Doyoung-sunbae's death." His hands smoothing over his black non-striped suit, he stared to the side and sighed. "We may have to hold back until next year, perhaps."

That was a couple months away. A lot can happen in a couple of months, but Dana doubted these two would break off the engagement by then. Head cocked, she crossed her arms. "That's not bad. I'd be fine with that." Both of them gave looks that practically said ' _But that's you_.' "What else I missed?"

Without hesitation, Claude blurted, "They're thinking of transferring Kanna."

"Claude!"

"She deserved to know," he said and shrugged. Behind his hand, a stifled groan emitted from Dune. "We couldn't get much information about her so they might imprison her elsewhere until she fesses up."

"Why don't they let me handle that?" said Dana.

They shared a wide-eyed glance. Claude explained, "Believe me, we tried everything. You think it, we did it. Hopefully, your imagination isn't too fucking wild."

A strained smile lining his lips, Dune nudged his boyfriend and shook his head. "You're hoping out of all people, Dana's imagination isn't fucking wild?"

"You're hoping my imagination isn't fucking wild?" Dana repeated.

"Aha," Claude laughed, stress straining his voice. "I'm afraid that's all I can disclose to you, Vice Chief."

"What about KNIFE then?"

Despite what he said a second ago, Claude also said, "Actually, they haven't come around. The head requested for more of SPOON heroes to reinforce POT for the past several months, but it looked like KNIFE wasn't coming." Dune gripped Claude's arm pretty painfully, but he kept on blabbing, "It's really weird since we were pretty sure Kanna wasn't like an underling, but one of their more valued member of KNIFE."

As Dune reached around to smother Claude—which maybe the wedding may be backed off for a long, long time—, Dana thumbed her chin with this new info stored into her long-term memory. Which, relating to The Case, consisted of what?

None of it was the key with her next move to capture Osu, but KNIFE was undoubtedly connected to Osu. She wasn't sure of his position within KNIFE ranks or the structure of their ranks at all. That didn't matter. Osu was the only priority. He had to be pretty high up there, didn't he? He was a drug lord after all. If she was the boss of KNIFE, wouldn't she have good reason to bring a drug lord to an infiltration mission?

Shaking her head, Dana could only conclude she had no fucking idea. Villains were a major drag, maybe more than funerals.

"Oh, I forgot tell you, Dana. Something not confidential to our job." She raised an eyebrow at Dune. Somewhat casually, he was pinching one of Claude's ears, who was spilling pleas for forgiveness, and said, "I don't think we can watch Hyena next week."

 _Fuck_ , she thought as she said, "What."

His free hand reached for his cigarette box, then tapped it open against his thigh. "Like this idiot said, we're preparing to transfer a villain into a new location. To make sure the transfer will go smoothly, Claude and I are going to be involved with the planning." The cigarette pressed between his lips, Dune accepted the lighter from Claude and lit his smoke. "You're going to have to ask someone else."

"B-but my mom said," started Dana and gave up. "Shit. You think Judas—"

"Absolutely not."

"Shit…" A hand raked back her up-do, unraveling the tight ponytail she had. Things were hard enough without him, but there was a time when he wasn't there. Eyes grinded shut, she mumbled, "I guess I'll watch her and Guineung… by myself."

 **.**

Alone, Dana wished she wasn't watching Hyena and Guineung.

Reason one was her little sister herself. Hyena was disheartened for a whole week. Dune and Claude somehow made themselves the fun, funny big brothers she could always look forward to. But to have that canceled and spend time with her usual _unnie_? It was unconceivable madness, madness enough that Hyena fought for Dana's attention even with Guineung's illness beckoning her.

Reason two was her adopted son. Little puffs of heated breath passed Guineung's parted lips, but worry continued to wrack Dana. Clinging to her shoulders was Hyena, wailing and whacking with her tiny fists.

Exhausted, Dana collapsed her upper body against the bed. "Hyena-ya," she groaned into the blanket. "Can't you see Guineung is sick?"

Hyena shrieked in response. Underneath the heart-patterned blanket, Guineung whimpered and tossed in restless sleep.

"Fuck it," she swore under her breath. Shifting Hyena onto her arm, Dana got onto her feet. She flailed and kicked her legs in retaliation. "C'mon, Hyena, we're gonna help Guineung get better, alright?"

Like it or not, Hyena was coming with her. Though Dana took special care to wrap up Hyena warmly before forcing her sister outside. The walk to the convenience store was better than expected, seeing that maybe Hyena was just tired of watching Guineung suffer. This was better for him too since he could now suffer without the high-pitched screaming. So circumstances were improving, but not by not a lot.

Honestly, he was much more accustomed to handling every situation with Guineung.

"We're here!" cheered Hyena, skipping into the store. The bunny ears upon her winter hat flapped as she hopped to one aisle to another.

Heading to the medicine aisle, Dana said, "Stay close to me."

"I want this!"

"Hyena…" A pinched hand rubbed the space between her eyes. "Fine. Okay? Only today."

"I want that too!"

Her head swiveled to note what Hyena wanted—just so she could avoid it for next time—but then a head of baby blue flashed in her peripheral. There couldn't be anyone else. Before she knew it, Dana snatched Hyena up and rushed to the next aisle, a name pouncing from her lips, "Osu—!"

An ice demon glanced from his ramen cup. "Can I help you?"

An arm protectively pulling her sister back, Dana bobbed her head in apology and strode back to her aisle. Shame colored below her shifted stare, yet she was capable of locking him out of her mind. Right now, Guineung needed her assistance so she focused onto the rows of children's medication. Not the fact that he would probably know better, not that his number was a click away, and especially not that she left hundreds of messages attempting to apologize.

Her forehead against the medicine shelves, she sighed.

From behind her, Hyena tugged the edge of her jacket and said, "Done?"

"Yeah, I'm done." Even Hyena doubted her when Dana plucked the closest medicine box. "I have one more thing to buy."

Twenty minutes later, Guineung felt a hand gently shaking him awake. After he sat up, a tray of a water, sliced apples, and a plastic cup of medicinal syrup was planted onto his lap. To his left, Dana and Hyena were gazing at him expectantly, though Hyena was a slight more entertained with her panda crackers.

"You can't have one until you've drank your medicine and eaten something healthier," instructed Dana with one hand ruffling his bed hair. He tilted his head into her fingers. "Actually, you shouldn't have any until you're better, but whatever that won't kill you makes you stronger."

Sometimes Guineung couldn't understand what Dana says. It didn't matter. The priority was Hyena who was excessively munching on three pandas at once that he downed his medicine.

Sticking out his tongue, he said, "Dis'ustin'."

Panda bits slipped out as Hyena burst into little cackles. Dana rolled her eyes, though not entirely exasperated. The two of them were having the opposite effect. They were calming, in a weird way, even when Guineung spoke to Hyena through a mouthful of mashed apples. Kids were crazy, but they were kinda mood-changers. Or as sedative as two wild kids were, there was an almost palpable hole, as though something or someone was missing in this ambient atmosphere.

Dana refused to figure it out. Instead, she forced a forward thinking. Even though he continued to stock her fridge, cooking a mediocre dinner for her and Hyena was normal. It was like before he oh-so rudely interrupted her life. Her life was fucking fine with two of the cutest kids beside her.

So, yes, life was fine, and fuck Osu.

"You said a bad word," mumbled Guineung.

"Sh—My bad, Guineung."

It took a good ten minutes for Hyena to achieve maximum comfort, yet she swiveled onto her elbows, prepared to be awake. "I want a story."

Instinctively, Dana closed her eyes. "No."

Onto his side, Guineung said, "I'll tell one."

"Aren't you sick?"

"I'm better!"

"No."

"Yes, Guineung-oppa!"

"No."

His hand raised straight into the air, he asked, "Who wants a story?" Hyena shot her arm skyward in agreement. "See, two against one."

"Fine."

Once he settled comfortably into the position as a storyteller, Guineung coughed and started, "Hyung taught me this." That touched a nerve for Dana as she lazily lifted her arm across her eyes. "He said not too long ago, there was a boy who had everything he wanted. Mostly. He didn't know his parents, but he lived in a big house with food and clothing and lots of people to play. I think it didn't matter about his parents. He was happy."

There was an exhausted exhale from Dana.

Her chin atop Dana's shoulder, Hyena said, "What next?"

Guineung blinked. When she glanced at him, Dana thought his memory was glimmering behind his wide eyes. "He didn't need his parents, because he had angels. People with white hair and white wings." At this, bewilderment stiffened her shoulders, but her arm did not move upon her closed eyes. "They promised to be with the boy forever and ever. That's a long time, isn't it?"

Somnolence muffling her voice, Hyena mumbled, "Can't count to forever."

"Right?" Then with his arms, Guineung also propped him onto Dana's shoulder. Teeth gritted together, she grunted. "Hyung told me there are people who can live forever. The angels promised him, but the boy was lied to. They had other things, more important things than the boy. So he didn't know if everything that made him was happy was a lie. He didn't even know if he was really, really happy."

Turning her head, Dana said, "What kinda stories was he telling you?"

"Hyung said this story was true."

"Did he?"

"Yeah. Oh." He pointed, and Dana turned to the opposite side. Splayed over her chest was Hyena dozing off softly. Quieter now, Guineung whispered to her, "Storytime's over." Like a good boy, he was in the middle of tucking himself into bed when suddenly Dana clasped his arm.

Low, she said, "I want the ending."

He rebutted, "Can I go to a stakeout with Jelina's team?"

"No."

He pouted. "You can't have the ending."

The third time today, Dana groaned and cave in. "I want them to send me hourly reports on how you're doing."

Guineung chirped, "Yeeeeess." A victorious grin played across his face as he tucked himself in anyway. "Hyung said the boy was in de-nile? Well, he got very angry and made a big mess. One of those messes you can't fix."

"Hmm."

"Yeah, so then he was alone. Angels wouldn't be with bad boys. But the angels found him, and," Guineung paused to swallow, cough into the blanket, and blink up the ceiling, "and they saw what he'd done. The boy was ready to be alone forever, but the angels stopped him."

Blinking up at the same ceiling as Guineung, Dana prodded him, "Then?"

Moments passed before he said, "Hyund said the angels are angels. They forgave him, and they said they promised to stay with him forever." Black and white hair wavered when Guineung craned his head to face Dana. "The boy left with the angels and he was never, ever heard from again."

 _Strange_ , Dana thought. "How was he never heard from if this was a true story?"

Plucking at the blanket, Guineung shrugged. "That's what hyung said."

There was an obvious explanation that she didn't want to acknowledge. "Whatever. It's probably nothing." With her left hand, Dana felt his forehead. "I think you're getting better now," she guessed.

Curled into her side, he only bobbed his head in response. Sleep was coming for him as well since his breathing was slowing down to match Hyena's. That wasn't Dana's case; she could only stare sleeplessly into the darkness of her room. This bombed. She had been passing out from lack of sleep all the time. For tonight of allfs nights to lay there and think about the implications of that stupidass story was the worst.

Yet he came to her rescue, sort of, with his small voice. "I miss hyung."

It would be easier to give an excuse or anything else than to tell him right back, "I miss him too."

 **.**

"Stop lying to me."

A shuddering gasp escaped Dana as she staggered to her feet. Darkness inhabited every direction but was lenient to allow her eyes to rest upon the ground. Around her were faceless corpses she did not recognize, could not, except for one.

Dana breathed, "Sunbaenim?" The dead could not answer. She had no idea, it wasn't her fault, yet she said, "I'm sorry."

"That apology," he said, his voice elevating in volume, "is part of the nothing you spill."

He was here. Standing a few feet in front of her, still on the verge of tears. Dana called for him, "Osu?"

He said, "It's all nothing."

Hysteria crept around her feet, but Dana was Dana, and she struggled to stand. "Osu, I'm sorry."

"Or, more accurately, I am nothing."

Her hands trembled, fumbling fingers enclosing around nothing. There wasn't anything that could help her fix this, and she wanted oh-so badly to make things right. _Oh fuck_ , she thought with her nothing to stop them, _I don't know how to help him. I want to, and I can't at least do fucking this for him._

"I can't," they simultaneously said. Her head shot up, and he continued, "For a moment, I truly believed I could trust you. I can't."

Even though she hated doing this, even though this wasn't like her, at all whatsoever, Dana's gut told her to shout, "Tell me! Tell me how to fix this!" Legs like lead, she took a weighted step toward him. "I can help you if only you can help me, Godtdammit! Fucking tell me, Osu!"

The twins. They came for Osu, each of their arms before him, like sloping of swords. As though they were invisible, Osu said, "What am I? What I to you?"

What more could she beg for him? "I don't know. I don't fucking know." Dog-tired, Dana gave in and collapsed onto her knees, breathing hard. Darkness edged for him at all, and she didn't want that. Hands onto her forehead, she held her head up with the palm of her fists. "I wish I could see you again," she admitted aloud.

"Goodbye," Osu said as the twins protected him into the abyss, "Dana."

 **.**

The whole world was graciously and generously soft.

Morning light streamed through lace-trimmed curtains and warmed most of Dana's shoulder blade, twining through her disheveled hair. Pear, lychee, and blue wisteria rose from soft pockets of here and there, but holy hell, this world smelled wonderful as hell. Though her eyes were still shut, she shifted her head an angle and heard someone say, "Finally awake?"

Head upped, Dana locked eyes with her girlfriend. "Luda-unnie?"

"Sure is," she laughed, and gave her a morning wink.

Bright, too glittery, her happy-go-lucky light was something that could rival the sun. Dana closed her eyes and asked, "Where's Guineung?"

"You told me Guineung was invited to a stakeout with Rosy's team. To get some of that harmless, heroic experience."

"I did tell you that." Stupid her. She would've rubbed the sleep from her eyes, but her left hand was caught within Ludas. Whose own hand held a nail polish brush.

Seeing that, Dana narrowed her stupefied stare. One of her arms wound around Luda's back as Luda held the other. She painted careful strokes onto her nails, and Dana watched in interest for a moment or two.

The confusion upon her face was questioning enough that Luda said, "I wanted to get up, but you had a pretty tight hold on me. Oh, it didn't hurt or anything, it was just…" She tossed her purple hair off the shrug of her shoulders. "Anywho, I couldn't move. You looked pretty tired from last night so I knew it was gonna be a while before you woke up. Sorry I had to entertain myself for a bit."

The brush waggled in her hold again, which Dana squinted at.

Luda gently clasped her painted hand and showed her. "Black really is your color," she said and gave her a sweet smile.

"Huh."

"Hold still! I only got your pinky left and then the top coat. But after that—all done!"

"Huh."

Her tongue slightly poking out in concentration, Luda started to say, "So like." Dana observed her meticulously add another layer of black. "Did you like have a bad dream or something along those?" Though Dana was generally sociable with Luda, she made no move to reply. "You know, I'm only asking 'cause you kept grinding your teeth and stuff like that… I mean, I know you do that anyway, but when you're asleep, it's totally different, isn't it?"

After a pregnant pause, Dana said, "Yeah."

"Oh! Okay…" After a count of five, she said, "Hey, I just wanna pop a quick question?"

"Yeah?"

"You know…"

"I know?"

One glance into Dana's hard expression told Luda to ask otherwise. "Never mind. It probably wasn't that important," she half-joked. It was hard to think anything but when Dana didn't assure her, but Luda went on finishing the top coat anyway. Careful, she kissed Dana's knuckles where paint wasn't drying, and chirped, "All done!"

In return, as Luda's hand was holding hers, Dana placed a kiss onto her palm. "Thanks," she said.

Pinker than ever, she hand-masked half her face and fumbled out of bed. "Gonna go make breakfast," she beamed from behind her hand. Then immediately she twirled on her heel to say, "Freshen up and we'll meet me in the kitchen?"

Shrugging on her shirt, Dana nodded and flipped her collar down. She had a long day today so she had a limited time to spend the morning with her girlfriend. Or maybe it was for the better. A sort of awkward silence lingered about them when Dana had a feeling Luda wanted to finish her question. Luckily for her, Dana got called to SPOON early and hurried to pick up her kid.

"Guineung!"

Safe and sound, he dashed into her legs and climbed her like a panda. Or as well as a panda could. Could pandas even climb?

Dana didn't know she asked aloud until Jelina answered, "Bamboos are on the ground so it's not like they have to do any climbing for food."

"What about protection?" suggested Sangjae. Beside him, Sasa nodded with a flap of his wings. "Don't they get hunted from predators? They're not the scariest of the bear family. Or at least I don't think they are."

Hoisted onto Dana's arm, Guineung clawed the air and growled, "Rawr."

 _Definitely not_ , Sangjae read from everyone's mind. Stifled snickers were coming from Rosy who chipped in, "They're still a bear. For all we know, they could be the predators so they don't need to be afraid of anyone, eh, Guineung?" A genuine growl ripped from Guineung's throat, which was hilarious to Rosy. He chortled, "The internet knows all. Sasa!"

He scrambled for his phone like the newbie underling he was as Rosy sidled next to Dana. "He was pretty good last night. Gotta love his energy! Guineung is gonna make a great hero someday," he said with a whack to her shoulder. Instanteously, she sent him her usual glare.

With Rosy cowering behind her, Jelina said, "The stakeout wasn't successful. Like at all. The only remotely interesting thing was when Rosy told Guineung to barge in the location. Yeah." She scoffed and crossed her arms. "We've been keeping watch on the wrong building. So we're going for the right one tonight… Godt."

Dana didn't notice before. Everyone did look worn-out and had drooping eye bags from staying up all night to yield shitty results. Only Guineung appeared to bewidely awake as he peered onto Sasa's phone.

Right to it, Rosy asked, "You think it's okay if Guineung comes again?"

She thought of what he would say and shook her head. "He's stayed up with you guys, that's not good for him."

"Oh, please!" he wailed.

"They can cimb treeth ith they aren't hard or thooth," read Sasa. Then the situation caught up to him and he mumbled, "Pleath."

"Yeah, please?"

"Please let him go?"

This bombed too. People expecting things of her, things that she was against, and she normally didn't care about people or things, but these were people she kinda cared about on a matter she definitely was invested in. So, with her head tilted back then down to face them, Rosy in particular so she could glare him to hell, she said, "Fine. I want reports on him again."

"You didn't even read those," Rosy sniggered.

"I'll read them this time."

"Ooooooookay, Vice Chief. We're gonna go pass out, so drop him off at the dorms when you're done." With that, Rosy's team hastened toward the luxury of sleep.

That left Dana and Guineung to her day. Which wasn't too bad as his inexplicable liveliness was a front. A very weak one. He conked out the minute he sat down next to her, like she expected. Must have learned that from her. Somehow, July's chief conspiracy awoke from the shadows of her mind when she saw how much paperwork she didn't usually have. Then there was one field mission for her so it was easier to drop him off at the dorms. Sometime, things worked out like that.

On her way home, as she walked from the station to her apartment, she called Luda.

After she picked up and gave her greetings, Dana said, "How was work?"

"Tiring. But I'm going out with other girls tonight!"

"Huh." That might defeat her idea of staying over again. "Let me know when you get home safe?"

A night breeze swept through her hair as Luda's voice lilted in her ear, "Why don't you come?"

Her steps halted before skipping some upon the stairs. "I couldn't," she said instead of 'I wouldn't.'

"Oh, Dana! I bet you had a long day too, and I promise you it's not going to be awkward or anything. Everyone's really fun! Besides, you haven't met any of them, like you only know Manager-oppa and he's not even a magical girl, so please? Pretty please? You know, you can come back to my place when—"

"—she's not here again."

Every nerve in Dana's body froze and chilled, sending shivers down her spine. She'd yet to turn the corner, but she didn't have to. Dana just knew. Like white noise, Luda's voice began to muffle as she surreptitiously peeked around the corner.

He was there with a suited hybrid outside her apartment. They spoke loud enough for her, but Dana didn't care. Osu was right there as she'd hoped he would be.

Before she could figure out Plan A, her instincts played out for her. The phone clattered to the ground, already forgotten. In a moment, she'd lunge from the corner to his side and just as she caught his sleeve, prompting him to turn in slow motion, Dana broke out a glorious grin of utmost rarity and breathed in—

—just as her entire world shifted.

She was not outside her apartment anymore. This—her surroundings—were a slight familiar but. The hybrid and Osu was still here. Osu had finally locked eyes with her and his certainly familiar face that she had oh-so badly wanted to see was one of heavy horror.

"Um. Uhh." A part of the surrounding moved upon the couch. It might've been an angel or two. "Osu, is that the hero who's been tagging you?"

Immediately, Osu moved himself between them and her with his fingers wounding around her wrist. His stance straightening, almost like in her defense, he neither affirmed nor denied the question. Dana wondered if he had lost his voice as well.

"Oh, cool. You finally brought her down, Osu?" said the other angel. Hearing them sent her mind into a further, disastrous disarray But then, even for a moment, his hold on her wrist calmed her incoming heart attack. "Boss will be glad to hear that. We can show him when he gets here."

… _Shit._

—

* * *

 **a/n:** yea cliffhanger much lol? i can guarantee there will be more osu/dana scenes in the next chapter, but dana's fate, i can't say...

thanks to my beta, **Eternal Nocturne** , my lovely readers **Siena, SmolAsianBean** , and **cuttoncandyhair**. Love yaaaa~


	15. you made me put away my pride

**.**

 **15\. you made me put away my pride**

 **.**

 _Shit shiiiiiiitt shitshtishshsihitt fuck shit fuck fucking shit—_

"I did it."

Osu's voice broke Dana out of the cursing chaos that was her own mind. Suddenly, she snapped her head toward him as he casually lifted her wrist, as though a prize, and said, "I've succeeded in capturing the Vice Chief of SPOON." Although Dana wanted nothing more than to argue otherwise, the situation called her to shut up the hell up. "I have brought her here because—because she is our prisoner. Yes, our prisoner."

When he glanced at her, she mouthed, ' _What the fuck?_ '

The twin with the clean hair shrugged. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"No, it wasn't, but when," said Osu at a snail's pace, obviously stalling for time, "when I saw the vice Chiehf wandering about ouurrr—" he drawled, blinking one eye at her rapidly like he stared into an eclipse, "about our hide-out's grounds, I decided to put an end to things. Yes, I decided to have Leo teleport her with us. Since she wanted to be here so bad, the Vice Chief can serve as our capture."

"Osu is right. We should consider her capture as a good thing." The twin without the crazy hair turned to his brother with the crazy hair. "Boss will like this, won't he?"

Of course, her capture wasn't intentional, much less a success. Lying blatantly to his colleagues wasn't something Dana would expect of him, yet she wasn't completely sure if pretending to be captured would eventually lead to her escape.

Suddenly, she was jerked toward the suited guard. Osu's grip on her wrist was firm, yet trembling onto her, and he did not hesitate when speaking to the twins. "I'll bring her to the cell until we receive further direction." He mouthed something to her, before directing his guard, "Leo, take extra precaution so that she cannot escape. We'll take her down together."

Almost sheepishly, Leo began to bound her hand together with random rope. Dana could've easily broken if the inaudible order from his lips wasn't stopping her.

 _Submit._

Fuck. Didn't he know that word didn't exist in her dictionary? Sub- _what_? What the hell was he thinking—no, how the hell did she—

"Dana-ssi."

Oh, right. Osu and his guard (which for her life, Dana hadn't a clue what half he was with black hair and yellow spots) were leading her somewhere. "What?"

"I have to sneak right away," he told her, gaze lowered. "Please follow Leo."

Without another word, he hurried toward the opposite direction while Leo tugged her forward. "It's not a long walk so I'll make it quick," he said through a pearly-white smile. "I'm Leo, a salamander hybrid, and the head of young master's guards. I'm also the only member who knows about young master's visits to you. I've been teleporting him all this time. I also also know he's taken to you a lot."

"Wha—"

"You know what Boss said was a lie, correct?"

"Clearly," scoffed Dana.

Stern, Leo nodded and explained, "My teleportation is a bit tricky. I can teleport myself and others by touch, so when you touched Young Master, I didn't notice and continued to teleport the three of us to our hideout. Incidentally." A gloved hand to his forehead, he sighed. "It's going to be a lot uglier now that you're here."

"Can't I just go?"

"It won't do you any good to escape." Strangely enough, he was still smiling to drop a detail as essential as that. Even with his suggestion, Dana couldn't help but doubt. "I know you're strong, but it'll even be a toughie for you against my guys _plus_ the twins. So, for now, it's better to follow what young master tells you to do until he plans something out."

Finally they were before a door, and as Leo unlocked it, Dana asked, "Will he have a plan?"

"Well, we never factored in the chance of you touching Boss at the last second before I transported, so hopefully?" he told her, gesturing her toward a chair.

As the dread set in, Dana took a dreaded glance around. The room was mostly bare, mostly dimmed, and actually kinda bare aside from the metal chair she was being tied to. The walls and ground looked repainted sloppily so she didn't know what to make of that. But then again, hell would better freeze over if they think torture would work on her.

Lost in her head, she didn't notice that Leo had disappeared until he stepped through the open door with a set of chains. "These probably don't work either, but something to give us a false sense of security, right?" He was right about that. But because it was ill-advised to escape, she sat down calmly as he locked her to the chair. Afterward, he brushed his hands together and said, "I gotta go, but you'll hear from me again. Can't promise your next time speaking to Young Master. Heck, Dana-ssi, please listen to me?"

 _What else could she say?_ "Whatever."

"Better than a flat-out no," he quipped. "See ya later~" With that, he closed the door behind him. The lightbulb overhead wiggled after his exit, spreading limited light a few centimeters away.

Good thing there was a hero's training for this. Or at least Dana knew better than to sit still. Easily, she sat up since Leo didn't chain her legs together. The chair was a discomfort, but not impossible to move with. Also annoying, her wrists were tight together. Though it wasn't hard to grasp the doorknob and find it locked. That was expected. Leo wouldn't blame her for attempting to escape anyway, as without hesitation, Dana rammed her left leg into the door.

Huh.

The door was stronger than steel? Strange. It made some sense since this was a prisoner's cell, but stronger than steel was a bit excessive, wasn't it? Though it made more sense that KNIFE were regarded as highly-leveled villains not only in SPOON, so they must've run into stronger heroes.

Yet Dana was one of the stronger heroes.

Maybe she could kick a hole out of here? Like with everything, violence was probably the answer. After stabbing away with her knife-like kicks, she found that while she could make a dent, she needed about fifty of those. Which wouldn't be a problem if on kick twenty-one, static suddenly sliced throughout the room.

A disembodied voice wheezed from nowhere. "Dana-ssi!" cried Leo. What did he want now? "Young Master said—He said, um, under no circumstance should you be awake so pleaaaaaassee—please be still no matter what happens. Ooh, they're coming, Dana-ssi, now's the time to be knocked out!"

For someone who didn't know her, he sounded pretty desperate. Dots poked in her mind, waiting to be connected with trust, but Dana fixated onto the muted dot from the lightbulb. There, she slammed her chair down, hung her head forward, and shut her eyes.

A moment later, there was a clang before the door. Several clangs, which only meant they locked the shit outta her cell. Curiosity wavered her self-control; it'd be so easy to check who KNIFE was. But he'd begged her, supposedly from Osu himself, so Dana stayed still. Even though temptation licked at her in the form of unfamiliar voices, she evened her breathing to an unconscious's flow and pretended.

Chuckling, a man said, "Is this her?"

One of the twins replied, "It is."

It must be the other one who said, "Boss, this is a good thing, right?"

"We'll see about that. C'mon," Boss called, and when he touched her neck, Dana couldn't help flinching, "wake up SPOON hero, wakey, wakey."

Fingers like serpents, they coiled around her throat and they were tight, tighter than her hands together. Fat chance she'd sit there and take his choking, like some wack victim. And Dana would've woken up to kick his ass, but she was forewarned.

 _Under no circumstance should you be awake._

Just before she gave into shredding his hand off, he backed off. A small hum emitted from him, then his steps swiveled away from her. She'd listen to the footsteps of everyone entering the room, and Dana estimated there to be five to six people here, but she knew exactly whom he was facing before.

"How come she's totally unresponsive, Osu?"

Somehow, his voice was like light rain amid a terrifying thunderstorm. "I overestimated how much she could take."

"Aww." Boss swiveled around, sounded like he was motioning a grand gesture. "And I thought we could finally do some interrogating."

"It won't take her long to wake up."

"Boss, this is it." There was an urgency to this voice like before, from the crazy-haired twin. "After the interrogation, she could be the key for gaining Kanna back."

"Hmm."

Another voice spoke up, a single female's, "It would be good if we can get Kanna back. I need a new cover so I can go online shopping again." It sounded like Boss was about to say something, but the woman interjected—whacked him? "It's necessary."

The other twin said, "While we can use this hero as a hostage, I don't think an interrogation is necessary."

"Why not?" gasped Boss.

"Osu said she's a SPOON hero. In fact, Osu, you said she's been tracking just your movements, right?" He responded with a small sound of affirmation. "All the information she knows probably just relates to our team's activity. But us at whole—with you Boss—, I doubt that she holds anything significant to discovering KNIFE. Much less to our downfall."

Thankfully, Osu said, "I agree with No.1. I even spoke with her about my case, and I can tell there isn't much she has to go with."

"You spoke with her?" Boss repeated.

"In tamer terms, yes, I spoke with her."

"Hmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmm."

No. 1 brought up, "It's POT that's the problem."

"Could we trade her for a POT hero, and then trade them for Kanna?" Boss wondered aloud. That earned another whack from the woman, a rather painful one.

Like a toddler, but much more pathetic, Boss was rolling around the floor. If Dana could watch, she'd be scowling at this so-called 'Boss.' What kind of boss of villains allowed his underlings to abuse him? If anything, it was a statement of power if your underlings were both afraid and respected their superior. Still wounding her mind over that, she barely caught the other twin talking—

"—to POT, so they have reason to concern themselves over a SPOON hero. Boss had a point. Kind of. I'd suggest that we use her to draw out a POT hero. Then with two heroes as our hostages, it'd be easier to get Kanna back."

A slight exasperated, No.1 said, "There's no promise that she can bait a POT hero. They're not the same organization, only related somewhat."

"No.2's idea should work better," the woman said. This time, fine fingers ran down her cheek. "Shame she's just for KNIFE's use. I'd be all over her if she was a man." Turning, she asked, "Boss, can I keep her after we're done?"

"Medusa."

Shockingly, that wasn't Boss's voice. A sort of gratitude smoothed Dana's breathing as Medusa moved away from her. She spoke back to Osu, "I asked beforehand, didn't I?"

He didn't reply. Out of nowhere, their Boss clapped and said, "Let's go. Call for me when she's awake and we'll see what we can squeeze out of her." Relief flooded Dana's heavy head, and her neck ached from leaning her head forward. "Just gotta check one more thing."

By checking, Dana never expected to feel his kick pound into her shoulder. All sense scattered, leaving rage to reign control. At once, her heels skidded into the cemented ground and her arms quivered from fury flowing through her veins. As soon as the chains slipped to the ground, her hands gripped the metal chair. Even though Dana was nothing but absolutely angry, she kept her madness in check as she sprang toward the back of Boss and hurled the chair.

When her wrath whittled away with the milliseconds, Dana blinked into snake eyes.

From above, Medusa had her pinned to the ground, and Dana wasn't imagining things, when a live snake poured from her lips. Its fangs pricked into the skin of her throat, but Dana could care less.

Worry craned her neck as she found Osu, hardly standing on his own. Speckled with scarlet dots, the chair lay a foot away from him. Something like sorry leveled her stare further. Branched-out rivers of blood streamed down, from his hairline to dripping excessively off his jaw. Still as a statue, he stood with his arms spreads out, the boss unharmed behind him. Though her intention was nothing more than accidental, it might've been guilt that anchored her chest. Lips tight, she said nothing as his blood puddled beneath him.

Boss chuckled. "Contain her, Osu."

"Yes, Boss."

Leaving only that, Boss's white back was consumed with the hallway's light. Slowly, Medusa climbed off of Dana, snake gone and all, before gliding after him. Disquieted, the twins were about to hover around him, but they got the feeling to follow Boss. That left only Osu and Dana for the first time tonight. There was a lot of feelings flying around her chest, but those didn't matter. Silent, she kneeled before him. He did so as well, though he was close to collapsing.

Carefully, her hands settled for his upper arms, holding him up the best she could. Even though he was the one worse for wear, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Godt, this was Osu after all. "I'm fine," she said. The spot where his boss had kicked her felt like a kitten's kiss compared to what he was going through. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at his robe's sleeves tinged with the scarlet, and she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, Dana-ssi. You were outstanding," Osu said and smiled. "I thought you'd never miss a chance to fight back, but you purposely missed that chance to listen to me." The atmosphere laden with adversity, he tilted his head forward. "Dana-ssi, I promise."

"What?"

"I promise I'll get you out of here. You will return to SPOON and Guineung. I promise you," he vowed.

"You… you fucking idiot…"

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, this was wholly, totally my fault_ , Dana thought and ground her teeth. She wanted to make up for it by stripping off her jacket and shirt. However, Osu stopped her midway and said, "They'll suspect something."

Honestly, they could all come in and pay-per-view the whole shebang. Ignoring him, Dana tore off the buttons, peeled her shirt from her head, and pressed it to his forehead. Again with the first aid, but Dana didn't need to be a EMT to know. His head wound was pretty gross, considering she threw a metal chair at him. Also, taking in the fact that Osu wasn't a healthy person, like at all, Dana's medical diagnosis was oncoming death.

From a closer look at him, maybe not. His breathing was heavier but his back straightened before her. Even his eyes were on her, not shifting out of vision or blinking for too long. Though he was a bit clingy with his hand reaching up to settle upon the nape of her neck.

It would've been great if they were back before her apartment door. She could have swallowed her pride and asked him to stay for a while longer. Begged him, maybe just a little, if needed to. He would know better, and yet, he probably would have swallowed his hurt. If fate was ever in their favor, they could have worked out like that. Ultimately, they both had these little problems that could be shoved out of the way, but now?

"You idiot," Dana repeated. "Why don't you just do your villain thing?"

There was a sort of inquisitive indignation crossing his glare, before he smiled with his eyes. "It's too late for that, Dana-ssi."

Blood welled into her shirt, weighing his head downward, and she pressed harder. "It's already all played out for you. I'm gonna get interrogated, tell nothing that they want to hear, so then I'll be used as bait for POT, and as a hostage for Kanna's return." Her shoulders slumped as Dana laughed sardonically, "Maybe I'll get really unlucky and get turned into that woman's plaything."

Osu's soft hands joined at her neck. Softer, he said, "Dana-ssi, I won't let any of that happen to you."

"It'll be easier. Less messy. I won't tell them about you."

"It would be easier for me in the grand scheme of things," he mused and feebly fit his head onto her shoulder, "however, it's not what I want for you."

Though it was simpler to speak, thanks to him, guilt built into her throat and she swallowed hard. "I don't get it. You told me you're a villain with morals, but even this shithole of a situation is black and white enough." An apology that never came was set on her tongue, but Dana was rightfully ruthless. "Shit, if this was turned around, I'd let you go to the heroes, and I wouldn't feel anything for you," she lied.

"Justice. Justice is different."

"I don't think it is."

Somehow, he could laugh into her undershirt. His grip was loose now, but still warm upon the side of her neck. In these close quarters, Dana never noticed much about Osu before. Maybe 'cause she was weaker as of now, but there was a potent perfume from him. There wasn't a particular scent to him, just gave off a strong smell of what Osu was. Really, he was much smaller than she thought he'd be, what with his phony intimidation of a villain, and she was lightly amused to know this.

Gently, she slipped her hand onto his neck as well. Warmer, even. "Osu, I'm sorry."

"Mhmm."

"I guess," she started toward his forgiveness, "I guess I've been really shitty. Distracted with a lot of shit."

"You don't say?"

"Shut up. I'm trying. Ugh, no, I wasn't," she groaned, "I wanted to be distracted 'cause I'm losing sight from all this doubt and shit. Some of that is your fault, asshole. But, anyway—if I get through this alive, I will be taking control of your case." Again, another murmured chuckle touched her chest, melting her from within, and Dana closed her hand over his neck, her palm burning against sickly skin. "Because you're my priority, and I should be the one to take you down."

"Wrong," he said.

"What?"

It could be any part that she fucked up again. But when he had the strength to lift his head, Osu cracked a blue boy's bright-eyed grin. "You're supposed to say when you get through this alive. I promised you after all." Since it was just that, she rolled her eyes and shoved him away. "Dana-ssi, I forgive you," he said, and released a stubborn burden from her chest.

Though it was the last thing she should be doing, Dana pushed a hand to her mouth and laughed, "About fucking time."

—

If this was going the way Osu planned, then they might be both fucked.

A whole lotta blood continued to drain from Osu's frail, fragile body so Dana had to force him to go. Outside the cell, Leo was waiting outside with a few guards, and he ordered them to take their master to emergency care—apparently somewhere on their property. That was the good news since Dana kinda needed and wanted him to live. Bad news was that Osu left without mentioning her escape, which Dana now wished they could've spent a minute or so talking about that.

Kinda important stuff, especially now that Osu gave his words that he will help her escape.

Strange, how his hands still lingered about her neck, and she rubbed where he'd been. All the weirder, right there, it didn't ache at all from when she was 'knocked out.' Amidst her confusion, Leo tapped her shoulder.

"Dana-ssi?"

That coming from Leo didn't sound right. She corrected him, "Call me Dana."

"Alright, Dana!" he beamed, and he handed her a bloody mess of her shirt. Not like she could use it now. "We need to get you out of here, right?"

"Please."

Cross-legged, he took a seat next to her. "Young Master was thinking of something."

Stretching her arms, she said, "Oh, fuck yes."

"He was thinking… Why don't we let them do the thing?"

"What?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Young Master also wants to stay in KNIFE so he's not gonna risk an obvious escape," Leo explained and checked his watch. "Don't have too much time, but I think he means that the plan is to let you become bait for POT. The catch is to warn POT beforehand of what ya part is in KNIFE's plan."

"So they would know what to expect, and then plan to get me out. Hmm. How do we warn them?"

Leo scratched his cheek at that. "You're going to be under surveillance so it's way too risky to let you contact them. That could be said the same for Young Master SO! Let me do the contacting!" He formed a thumbs-up.

As doubt nibbled at her heel, Dana crossed her legs together. "Aren't you the head of Osu's guards?"

"Yep!"

"Wouldn't it be suspicious for you too then?"

Bursts of laughter erupted from Leo, and he wildly shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Dana! Worry your pretty head about yourself, alright?" Winking, he asked, "Do you remember any POT heroes' numbers?"

"No, but it's on my phone so… Shit."

"To be honest, I know you don't have a cellular device on ya person." When he shrugged, it seemed like he was the one apologizing for the fuck-up. "No worries. there's other options, you know. Just let me know who you want me to contact in POT and I can send a letter lickity-quick!"

No thought to it, Dana said, "Write to Dune, a POT hero. Tell him to haul ass."

Thumbs-up, Leo repeated, "Dune, a POT hero! I think I can write to them, but I need the date of our D-Day. Dana-Day," he sniggered, almost earning a punch from her. "We'll have to wait until Boss finalizes the plan and the actual day and then I would have the information to relay to Dune, a POT hero."

From his wrist, Leo's watch blared a cricket's tune. After turning that off, he stood up, brushed off his butt, and walked off toward the closed door. "Time's up! Our plan is far from done since it kinda relies on Boss's so I'll let you know when Boss's plan is cleared."

Their own plan was very bare, but something gave her a bit of relief. "Thanks, Leo."

Before he vanished in thin air, Leo gave her not only one, but two thumbs-up.

—

The morning was all that Dana could look forward to. Apparently, they caught onto the fact Dana would escape from her cell, and apparently, that was fine. After breaking down the door, Dana discovered that the hallway lead out to two other rooms, a minimalist bedroom and the other, a bathroom. At the end was an elevator, locked by a keycode, but that only meant whomever came down, Dana could almost certainly kick their ass.

That wasn't so since no one came down.

On Day 1, a few hours after Leo left, he'd apparently came back. While she was waiting at the elevator, he'd drop off her dinner in the bedroom and teleported away. Just like that he'd come and go as he please, all in a blink of an eye, allowing no chance for her to accidentally touch him.

 _Though that was a coward's exit_ , she thought on the morning of Day 3.

Breakfast was set on a wooden table and a clean shirt. Under the glass of juice was a small, folded note. As she ate, Dana unfolded it and read, _I'm sorry there is no news. I hope you're alright. Be careful_

"Be careful?" mumbled Dana. "I thought they needed me for their plan."

Afterward, she pocketed the note and fork, changed into the shirt, and headed toward the elevator. They'd think that not using the elevator would be a trap for using it later, and that much was painfully obvious to Dana.

Sitting her ass down, she sighed and bumped her head against the wall. Last night was pretty boring, considering she spent most of late night and early mornings stalking the elevator.

It wouldn't hurt then to have some shut-eye for a few minutes, just to relieve her drowsiness.

When she opened her eyes, she stared into man with none. Or maybe he did. He was dressed in a white suit, white shoes, and most bizarre of all, white bandages around his eyes. Though he was crouched before her with no one else, she did not attack him.

"Good morning," he beamed.

Hands into fists, she spat, "Are you KNIFE's boss?'

Straight-up, he skipped back and planted both hands onto his hips. "That's me!"

"What'd you want from me?"

"You already know that, don't you?"

So he knew she was awake the entire time? Osu had warned her, but Dana wasn't sure what was careful anymore. "Answer the question."

He shrugged and sliced the air with his hand, offering it to her. "Let's introduce ourselves!"

"I refuse."

"Awww, Dana," he cooed, kneeling before her again. An indescribable urge to bury him into the ground surfaced, and she swallowed it as much of it as she could. "Let's work together, you know? Like you said, I'm the very tippy top oh-so feared Boss of a villainous group, and you're our enemy locked in our captivity?"

Self-assured, she retorted, "You need me though, don't you?"

"Or we don't." A grin swiped across his maniacal mouth. "It wasn't part of the plan for you to be here, you know? We could keep it that way."

Dana bared her teeth. "You're bluffing."

His grin broadened, almost creating sharp corners that could slice her. "Would you risk it?"

 _Be careful_ flitted across her mind in his familiar handwriting. "Fine."

"Shake my hand." Boss's hand was just as white as his clothing, and Dana found him repulsive as she did as he ordered. "Good hero. Hahaha. Now listen to my introduction." Taking his hand back, he spread his arms above his head and shot to his feet. "I am the Boss of KNIFE, Baekmorae~!"

White sand, huh. She didn't know what reaction he wanted, but she risked commenting, "And?"

He chuckled, and fit his hands into his pockets. "You're a mean hero, aren't you?" There shouldn't be a punishment for ignoring a rhetorical question, but Dana stiffened when he said, "Introduce yourself."

"Dana. SPOON hero."

"Nuh-uhhhh," he clicked his tongue. "Your full title like I told you mine."

Of course, they knew about her. Fan-fucking-tastic. That twin had asked Osu about her, so of course two-and-two clicked that they were tagging her as well.

"Dana," she said through gritted teeth. "Vice Chief of SPOON."

"Good hero." For some reason, he reached out to pat her head, but she immediately growled and shifted her wary stare into a full-on Dana's glare. Smiling, Baekmorae backed off. "Now here's the part where you will do little stuff for me, okay?" Before she could snap back, he raised his hand. "It's little stuff. No big deal, alright?"

Dana continued to glare.

After taking in a deep breath, Baekmorae declared, "Join KNIFE."

"I'd rather burn in hell."

"Huh, funny thing is if you do join us, you can head that way!" In response, a snarl ripped from her throat and, for a moment, it felt like Baekmorae was dealing with someone he couldn't handle. "Alright, so that's a no. Sigh, that sucks. I bet Osu would've liked for you to say yes."

"What?"

"It's just that—" Baekmorae sniffled, wiped his nose, and tapped his fingertips together. "I believe Osu cares a lot about you, Dana."

She scowled. "He cares because I'm in his way."

For just a moment, the light appeared to glint some intention in Baekmorae's blinded eyes. "Oh no, no, no, no!" he crowed, and flattened his fingers together in a sort of prayer position. "A different kind of care, the kind of care you can receive from one other in your whole lifetime! Dana, you know KNIFE is all about that! You can ask anyone, and they'll say we're the biggest advocators for people pursuing their ultimate happiness!"

"Evil?" she guessed.

"Not quite," he said. In a flash, Baekmorae's voice was dangerously close to her ear, whispering, "Love."

There was something more than a screw lose with this bozo boss, to which Dana voiced aloud, "You're out of your Godtdamn mind."

"Haha! It's okay, I know you're not aware of it, but the important thing is I am. C'mon, Dana, I've seen the way you waste your worry on him!" Too close for comfort, he plopped beside her and nudged her shoulder like old friends. "Did you forget? After throwing that nasty chair at him, you looked like you were about to cry!"

A white fist raised, Dana said in a cautiously low voice, " _If you don't shut the fuck up_ …"

"Okay, okay, fine, but can't say I didn't try for Osu. He's in love with you, by the way."

"Was joining KNIFE your only use for me?"

"Oh, right." Baekmorae tapped his chin, until that light popped above his head. "Right, so do me this one small thing, Dana." From his pocket, he brought out a cellphone and offered it out to her. "I know you're acquainted with POT hero, Dune, along with FORK president, Judas, and you have a younger sister named Hyena, a hybrid son that goes by Guineung—" Like a blur, her fist landed beside his head, wallpaper debris brushing his shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't touch the non-heroes. I know better than to touch loved one of heroes, ha! Anywaaaays, I want you to take this phone and call the number on it."

Moments passed before Dana decided to remove her fist and accept the phone. The single number on the contacts number looked familiar, but Dana could only recall her mom's number from memory. Suspicion etched onto her expression, she pressed call and held the phone to her ear. Dial tones beeped once, twice, before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Somewhere in her chest, a single word weighed her down, like it wanted to sink her into an unknown, unspeakable abyss.

"Dana," Baekmorae whispered, a hand before his mouth. "Tell Osu you love him."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** wink wonk. what's gonna happen next lol.

much thanks to **Eternal Nocturne** , and my wonderful readers— **SmolAsianBean** (i know its you hehe), **Siena** , and **cuttoncandyhair** ❤ ❤ ❤


	16. my heartbeat is calling for you

**.**

 **16\. my heartbeat is calling for you on its own**

 **.**

Slow, the dread from Dana's face began to dissolve, instead replaced with wicked amazement. To Baekmorae's own amazement, his jaw dropped when Dana threw back her head, cackling with uncontrolled amusement. If this was an act to intimidate him, it was working. Though she wasn't much of an actor, Dana pressed the phone to her ear and answered casually, "Judas is so much fun. Wow. He's the shit." With that, she hung up and slammed the phone onto Baekmorae's chest.

Though it was hard to tell with his eyes covered, Dana sensed well enough that his plans were foiled when he said, "Why you didn't tell Osu you loved him?"

"Shitty villain," scoffed Dana and rose onto her feet. "Wrong number."

Shrieking a bit, Baekmorae checked the number. "Whoops! Someone's gotta die today," he muttered to himself. Dana wondered if she should take him seriously when he searched his pants pockets. Then he handed his phone to Dana, already dialing Osu's number. "Tell him now!"

Like it was her own, Dana canceled the call and tapped onto Baekmorae's Internet browser. A powerful combination of disgust and disappointment darkened Dana's expression. His shrieking was more familiar to a murder victim then. He could've taken it from her, but wallowed underneath her detestation a moment longer before he could wrench it back.

"Ee-evrry-everybody like-likes them," he retorted and began to blush.

Dana didn't say anything. Envy washed over him. It was totally cool of her to walk off toward the elevator, even though the doors were still closed.

Baekmorae tried again, "There's nothing wrong with liking cat cafes, okay?"

"What're your plans?"

In a flash, Baekmorae stood beside her, facing the elevators as well. Impressive how there wasn't a semblance of his embarrassment half a second before. While her arms were crossed, he hid his behind his back and wore his villain's grin. "You want to know that bad?"

Stoic, Dana said, "Aren't I a part of them?"

"Or maybe you're not?" He shrugged and tapped his shoe annoyingly. It would be so effortless to crush the bones in his foot right then and there. "If you're here, might as well be used to our advantage, huh? Ack, wrong response. Listen to me, Dana, if you comply, your family and non-hero friends will be safe and sound." Like a knife, his grin sharpened upon meeting her steely stare. He added on, "Perhaps, you'll finally fathom the joys of being on our side, and turn to KNIFE."

Silently scary, she glared.

Baekmorae looked away and shrugged. "Well I suppose you'll learn about our plans soon enough, but first?" A pause ensued for her guess. It never came. "Give me a few answers and I'll return the favor."

Sounded dangerous, but Dana would risk it. "I'm not guaranteeing my answers."

"Neither will I."

Her face was a stone mask, and behind it, she clenched her tongue between her teeth. There had to be a way to tip this interrogation into her favor. Risking it, she brought up, "You have to answer one question with all the honesty in your shitty, villain body, and I'll—" Rolling her eyes, Dana stared hard into the elevator doors as she muttered, "—I'll see what I can do with that call with Osu."

The blindfolds appeared almost sheer to the glittering in his eyes. "You have to say it!"

"I said," she snapped, "I'll see what I can do."

A trembling fist to his cheek, Baekmorae sniffled. "Why can't I trust you, Dana?"

"You really want an answer?"

"Hahaha!" With a whirl, the ends of his jacket floated around him. He bumped his back against the metal doors. Dana faced him, glaring with ruthless intention. "That's not one of my questions. But why don't we start with me?" So be it. If this was her one chance to interrogate KNIFE in return, then she was going to take it. To start off, Baekmorae pointed at her. "How well do you know POT, Dana?"

 _Was there no harm to telling him the truth?_ Dana wondered. She replied, "It's a higher-up to SPOON. We were originally designed to clean up POT's messes before turning into a heroics organization of our own." From Baekmorae's humming, that much he knew. "You already know I'm friends with Dune. He doesn't tell me much about your case if that's what you're looking for."

"Does that mean No.1's and Osu's assumptions were correct?"

"Isn't it my turn?"

"Right, you are." His hand swept before her like she could actually take the elevators behind him and leave. She'd try if Osu never warned her of Baekmorae. "Ask away."

A long moment passed before she asked, "How're you going to use me?"

Like firecrackers, he burst into laughter and Dana stepped away from him. It certainly sounded like a warning as though she could catch fire onto his insanity. "Straight to the point, I see!" he exclaimed with all teeth. Dana decided she didn't like Baekmorae at all, not that she ever did. "Well, let's see if it's any use to you, hmm?"

"What'd you mean?"

"You've heard you're being used as bait. That was the plan as of three days ago. But now…" His index finger pressed against his pursed lips, which were a perfect target for her fist. "Maybe we just want you?"

 _Impossible_ , she thought but she retorted, "Then what's the point with asking about POT?"

"That's another question. Besides, maybe you should be worrying over the fact that I was serious when I asked you to join?"

"I will _never_ join you," snarled Dana with restrained rage.

Baekmorae shrugged, though confidence amplified his voice. "You don't know that for sure, Dana." In that moment, Dana realized he could be using her temper to his advantage. Shutting that down, as best she could anyway, she replayed a new mantra; one in Osu's handwriting telling to ' _Be careful_.' "Well, if you want to really know, the results of our conversation should decide your part in our plan. But right now, you could be more of use to us than you are to SPOON," he beamed.

Stupid, shitty, vague-ass villain. Hostility bled from her voice when she said, "Do you want to know if No.1 and Osu were right?"

"Nope! I wanna know… Hmm. That's right, I wanna know what's on the cutting board for Kanna?"

Shit. Claude did tell her the plans for that KNIFE member, but Baekmorae didn't know that. She just told him she wasn't involved with KNIFE's case at whole. But it was her mission that led to Kanna's capture, which meant. Did Baekmorae expect POT to involve Kanna with Dana's case with KNIFE's sub-boss, Osu, or did he believe her to think POT wouldn't allow her to know about Kanna's plans?

"Dana~"

A hand to her temple, Dana hissed. "I'm trying to remember," she lied. It wasn't like she could threaten POT's plans to transfer Kanna. That wasn't an option. On the plus side as well, she was a somewhat passable liar so she lied again, "She's that woman from Osu's party, right?" All smiles, Baekmorae nodded. "No, she wasn't closely related to Osu's drug case. I'm not in charge of her. I don't know what's happened to her and I don't know what's going to happen to her."

"Hmm," he hummed. He didn't look much like a lie detector. Maybe some time ago her lies began to pass off as truth.

Rather than steam on that, she asked, "How are you going to make me join you?"

"Simple. I'll use Osu."

What? What the fuck? Was that why he was so obsessed with him and her? Dana didn't know the specifics to make this work, but her suspicion from the night of Kanna's capture rose again, bloating her mind with possibilities. The biggest _what-if_ bubble was the fact Baekmorae mentioned doing all this villainy bullshit for love, though that was most likely what it was. Bullshit. That and love won't help her when Dana needed to get the fuck out of here.

Honestly, she should ask something pertaining to her escape, but the elevator was the only way out. Leo might teleport her out. Though that was incredibly risky on his part, in addition to Osu's. Maybe this fool…

"It's my turn, Dana," he said. His toothy grin gave her the creeps. She detested him so. "How much do you know about me?"

A question Dana kinda suspected to arise, but it still came off as a surprise. He must be basing what she knew to a more informed extent in POT's case. The answer, then, must be to reveal as little as possible. "The lab genocide," she said.

"Hmm?"

Meeting his bandaged eyes, Dana explained, "KNIFE rose from a lab genocide. You were involved and came out with a few other unidentified survivors. I suspect those survivors are working with you now." Her arms crossed, Dana gave a nonchalant shrug. "Unless they've also been dealt with by SPOON's hands."

Maniacal, his grin widened. "Or mine?"

There was a few more sides to Baekmorae that Dana didn't expect to be consistent. She ignored them. "I haven't known about you until recently so don't expect any more than that." With that, Baekmorae was silent as though he considered believing her. "I'm not taking any more questions. This is my last so I want the truth."

Right hand up, he straightened his spine and laughed. "Villain's honor."

There was no promise in that. Head cocked, she spat, "How do I know?"

Reaching behind his head, Baekmorae said, "Here. Take it." Line by line, the bandages upon his eyes unraveled into his hands. Weird. His eyes were perfectly healthy yellow, soft eyes, that Dana never imagined to belong to a villain.

Though abhorrence contorted her expression, Dana accepted the bandages albeit begrudgingly. "Do these actually mean anything to you?" He shrugged but there was something terribly off about him without his bandages. She stuffed them into her fists before crossing her arms again. "You will answer my question before I call."

"Okay doke!"

Before all else, she wanted to know, "What'd you mean you'll use Osu against me?"

"Ooh! Good one!" An impromptu clapping stalled his thinking time, or at least Dana suspected it to be. "There is the factor that you will tell him you love him. Hmm." Her fist began to quiver and Baekmorae spotted his bandages crumpling like brittle leaves. "Hey, hey, careful there! Thank you… Ahem, I was just gonna say that Osu is the perfect… _persuasion_."

Doubt dripped from a single word. "Persuasion."

"That's right, persuasion!" His index finger dug into a corner of his sharp smile. "Tell me, you already know, don't you? About Osu?"

"Depends."

His finger drooped as he frowned. "You don't know he's the Oz?"

There was no hiding this. Fucking this, Dana had suspected as well, but it didn't click for her until now. The evidence was all there. The night he was sick he was 'using' the Oz. The night he hinted the rarity of the Oz. Then there was the night she almost busted him and he was caged within a sort of fucked up ventilation system. The Oz was suspected to be an airborne drug, and that night pretty much proved it.

How obvious it was, and yet she could never bring herself to believe it. A drug within a human? A drug that was human? A human that was a drug? The thought process of it all wore her down, twisting her gut with stupidity. Infuriated, at herself mostly, Dana brought a hand to dig her fingernails around her exposed, vulnerable mouth.

Watching her, Baekmorae giggled and teased, "Surprised much?"

"Fuck off."

"Should I explain how he'll _persuade_ you now?"

Osu wouldn't. Back then he'd ask if she wanted to try the Oz and, not too long ago, he pitched the Oz toward her, but she had never wanted it. He would respect her choice, even being a villain and all who didn't see black and white, wouldn't he?

Could she trust him?

"Give me the phone," she demanded.

"Now hold on a moment," he said , one hand into his pocket. After fetching the two phones, Baekmorae transferred Osu's number onto the anonymous phone as Dana tapped her foot impatiently. Annoyingly, as he had, but he was still grinning all-knowingly as he handed her the phone.

At once, she turned away from him and walked toward the end of the hall. Baekmorae followed her eagerly like a stray puppy, almost attempting to skip before her. Ignoring him, Dana drew in a breath as this time, Osu picked up.

"Who is this?"

"Osu." In the middle of recognition, but not before he could respond, Dana continued, "I just have something quick to say and it's that I _apparently,_ I lo—"

" _Dana-ssi, I like you_."

"Oh, shit." The hand with the bandages thumped against her forehead as her eyes grinded shut, along with the clenching of her bared teeth. "Back, back the fuck, back off," she growled, low and guttural from her throat. Low and clear with a note of declaration, he continued to replay in her head, like a broken record refusing to die down; _Dana-ssi, I like you, Dana-ssi, I like you, Dana-ssi, I like—_

As he'd been watching with flummoxed fasciation, Baekmorae suddenly shivered when she snapped her head toward him. With the look she gave him, he might as well dissipate into ashes. Since that was out of Dana's powers, he only waved his hand at her like an overbearing mother.

Startling Baekmorae out of his own skin, Dana whipped her hand out, spilling wallpaper debris like a snowstorm, right from where her fist branded onto the crumbling wall.

"Dana-ssi?" called Osu. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

A change of plans. Eyes still shut, she said, "Remember the night you ambushed me?"

She could have. Baekmorae should be able to tell. She could have gotten it over with by saying three, stupid words, but if she was really sorry, she had to get this shit out of the way. She thought apologizing was there was to it. And it was a genuine apology, something like a blue moon of her feelings. Even though she shoved away her pride for that shit, of course, there was something else she could only come to terms now.

There was a needed moment for him to ponder over his response before he said, "The first night?"

A hand twisted in her hair, Dana scowled. "No, not that. It wasn't… fuck," she hissed and recalled his warning of the Oz. All the drugs the Oz could copy, that he could show. How was she supposed to know that was literally Osu? "I guess it was the night I ambushed you. You returned the favor."

That night, Luda was never meant to be an attack. Silence insinuated Osu thought she was. "I remember."

"I guess… I guess I retaliated too fast?" she admitted. From behind her, Baekmorae gasped. If she wasn't on the phone, she'd sock him. "You can't blame me. It didn't come out of nowhere, but—but I guess… I may need to reconsider your _attack_." Her hand slid down from her hair and onto her mouth, muffling her voice. "It was a stupid choice on your part, but I'll see what I can do."

"I see."

"I don't think my fe—I didn't change. It doesn't change anything. I'd still punch you in the throat if I could."

"It was the face."

"Next time, expect pain from both."

He laughed, which was fine. It was only that Baekmorae was here so she scrounged up some sort of scowl-like frown when she heard Osu. And she couldn't bear to talk to him any longer with Psychopath of the Year in the back, pushing her to end the call.

Without meeting his dazzled gaze, she hurled the bandages at Baekmorae.

He caught it smoothly and blurted, "What was that?"

"Like I told you, I told him I'll see what I can do."

"There's more to it than I can see, isn't it?"

"When I get out of here," she vowed, "I will catch you along with Osu."

"Or you can join me."

"Leave me alone before I change my mind."

"Alrighty~"

For a moment, Dana stewed in her awkward anger. She's never felt so out-of-place within her own body before. There was nothing to reconsider. Really, there shouldn't be. Like Baekmorae, he could be saying things to piss her off. But unlike with Baekmorae, she could come to believe him and when she told him that, those words drifted readily from her mind to mouth, like they've come from somewhere within and had been waiting all this time like some horrible, hidden—

"Hold up!" shouted Dana, throwing a backward glance.

Several feet away, or just enough to be out of her reach, Baekmorae waved to her just before the elevator doors closed, sealing him up and away from her.

 **.**

On Day Four, Dana managed to sit Leo down for the letter. It was short and to the point. Dana didn't know if Baekmorae was keeping his old plan, but she made sure to write it in anyway, in all caps for all the urgency. Afterward, Leo winked at her and teleported along with her letter.

On Day Five, nobody else came for her. That was fine; Dana needed the alone time—even if she had an excessive and maddening amount of that—to herself. Practice what to say to Osu whenever he chose to come by. Something told her he had so badly wanted to, which distracted whatever potential bullshit she could distract him with.

On Day Six, Osu finally came to visit her in the morning. He had Leo teleport him and immediately headed for her bedside, not knowing that was a mistake. The moment he sat upon the edge of the bed, Dana was instantly wide-awake, her eyes wild with being caught off-guard and her hands taut around his throat. As soon as she recognized him, she grumbled a sigh of sorts, muttered a sleepy apology, and removed her hands.

Astounded by her reaction time, Osu touched his neck. "How are you feeling?"

Good. He wasn't gonna prod her about "reconsidering," whatever that meant. Really, that was the least important point to tackle, though it remained glued among her thoughts. Could a human drug fix this? Shit, another point she didn't want to think about. Why did until recently did her own mind feel more like a minesweeper?

"Dana?" Osu called again, and accepted a breakfast tray from Leo. For some reason, the guard couldn't meet her eyes. "Dana, I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you in a while. You've been on close watch for the past several days. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"Fine," she said and reached for the bowl of rice. It was weird, but she was noticing the rice here tasted the same as the rice at home. Coincidence much? "You?"

"They're keeping me busy, I regret to inform you." A loose fist to his mouth, he smiled gently. It was a smile worthy usually geared toward Guineung. For the millionth time, she wondered how he was doing. "I've last heard that your mother is caring for Guineung. She's terribly upset with you, but she's worried about you." Before she could also ask about that, he shook his head. "You'd been so busy your mother thinks of me as your hired help."

Busy… Strange. Back at SPOON, there was so much going on, so much to distract herself from Osu. Ad now? Slow from too much sleep, she ate a spoonful of rice and said, "'orry."

"It's alright," he said, sounding somewhat tired as well.

"Dana, I'm so sorry!"

Chewing on her third spoonful, she furrowed her brow. "Wmat?"

"I messed up!" wailed Leo and sunk to the floor, his forehead to the ground. Dana glanced at Osu whose smile downturned a centimeter. "It's all my fault! They know that they're transferring Kanna to another facility!"

" _What?!_ "

"Punish me!"

Before Dana could jump out of bed to do just that, Osu gripped her arm. "Leo, leave before you arouse anyone's suspicion." Following his superior, Leo sniffled and disappeared. With the serenity of a mountain monk, Osu spoke to her, "They found Leo's notes on POT's address, and had sent him and another KNIFE member under disguise to investigate POT. Fortunately, Leo found your friend, Dune, but the other KNIFE member also discovered a file containing Kanna's plans."

"Oh, fucking hell." Full of stomach-turning anxiety now, Dana shoved her breakfast aside and began to pace her room. Her hand clawing back her hair, she asked, "What about the letter?"

"The letter may or may not be successfully delivered," answered Osu, still in his calm and peaceful disposition. The total opposite of Dana who was disheveling her bed hair with both hands. "Leo had dropped off the letter at your friend's office, but he is unsure whether your friend will read it."

"Why not?"

Osu rose a hand to his cheek, which he appeared to be biting from the inside. "Leo may or may not watched your friend dump a stack of paperwork upon the letter as soon as he came into his office."

After grabbing a pillow from her head, Dana screamed into it, " _Duuune!_ "

She wasn't angry with Osu, but he shrunk his shoulders anyhow and elaborated, "Leo is attempting to return to POT as best he can. However, given the fact that our boss can't seem to make up his mind, he is currently sending me and my guards everywhere … It's exhausting, to say the least."

"You don't know his plans either?"

"Not at the moment. It feels somewhat like he's doing whatever he wants. I wouldn't be surprised if he is."

"Shitty, _shitty, stupid piece of dogshit_ —"

Insulting Baekmorae to death wasn't doing much to relieve her stress. So, it was a wonder to Dana when Osu reached out wordlessly and lay his hand upon her arm. Even though she still loathed Baekmorae with every fiber of her being, as his particularly small fingers wrapped around her wrist, the hatred in her head dimmed to a muted presence.

"Dana-ssi." If this was followed by ' _I like you_ ,' her temper was about to blow through the roof. However, Osu was smart or at least normal enough to say, "It's going to be alright. I promised you, remember?"

"You did."

"I'll do everything within my power to keep it."

"Thanks…" she sighed. "Osu?"

An analog clock above Dana's bed was frozen at three-oh-seven, the seconds hand never moving in the short duration Osu had been staring at it. That must've driven Dana mad at some point. Not as mad as she was now. "Dana-ssi?" he said.

His fingers still against her skin, she leaned back against him, just barely. "When I get out of here…"

"Yes?"

"I'll thank you, like in the right way."

"You've apologized to me," he said and glanced at the time. Unmoved, even now. "I suppose that's the best kind of gratitude I'll receive from you."

She shook her head. "I'll have to take you and Guineung out. Just the three of us, I guess."

Now that was a form of gratitude Osu should've craved for a very long time. Dana guessed right when his figure was still, but he swallowed hard. "That sounds very far off for some reason," he murmured, trying hard not to peek at her expression. "It's a tempting offer."

"It's not an offer. I'm doing it whether you like it or not."

"I'd like that very much," he said, a tenfold brighter than before.

She rolled her eyes. Gentle, his fingers drummed right above the pulse within her wrist. "Then it's done. As soon as I get out of this shithole, I'll follow wherever you and Guineung want to go. You guys deserve that much."

"You're too kind as of lately."

"It's long overdue."

"Maybe it is."

Dana shot him her usual look. Seeing that she was the first to turn, Osu brought his free hand to his mouth, his cheeks puffed with subdued laughter. The annoyance faded as he collapsed against her, his weight adding like nothing at all. Strange, how a sort of discomfort contorted her chest before she relaxed and realized, maybe, she was the one who should be relying on him. After all, he had promised her and she in return should wholly trust him to that extent.

 **.**

On Day Seven, she awoke in the middle of the night. To her pleasant surprise, it was Osu again. A neutral displeasure masked his face as he tugged her arm. "Get up," he ordered, his voice hardened with hurry.

He should be the last person forcing demands, but then again. There were guards outside her bedroom door, Leo included. He didn't smile, but he did wink at her. Sleepy still, Dana just stared blankly as she was being handcuffed, as useless as that was, and then lead out of her room. At long last, she was allowed to use these stupid elevators. It wasn't enjoyable at all since everyone inside waited in tense silence. Really, Dana wanted to kick the doors just to see how fast everyone would point their weapons at her.

She also wanted to ask Osu what the hell was going on, but there were no chances for that. Instead she followed him without a fight as he moved out of his hideout. They even made it outside through some shady back door. Weird how they lived in the city yet they had a small forestry area as their backyard. They weren't even going that way as they turned toward the front of the building, the path also bordered by trees and shit.

"Hey," Dana spoke up, deciding to risk it. Some poor guard holding her left arm was her victim. "Where you taking me?"

The guard gulped and she flickered his wide eyes to Osu. Without looking back, he nodded. Standing straighter, she gripped Dana's arm and answered, "You are being transferred to KNIFE's main location."

" _Oh, shit_ ," she breathed.

That meant Baekmorae was, in all seriousness, serious. That also meant this wasn't good because she didn't mention his persistence to joining KNIFE in her letter to Dune. Which also, also meant he had no way to intercept this transfer since he didn't know any of this. Godt, what the fuck was she gonna do now?

As if he read her mind, Osu glanced at her. Short, but his gaze was the same as the morning before. Frigid for the most part. Behind that, there was the soft calmness as though to say everything is pretty shitty right now, but you'll trust me, won't you?

So be it. Even though he upheld his position as a villain, Dana wholly trusted him. He promised, and she expected him to deliver.

She just didn't expect him to deliver this fast.

The moment he returned his head to the front, the guard Dana had just talked to fell to the ground. A pink-purplish whip retracted from her body and bounced back to its owner, one that Dana was infinitely relieved to see.

As she took down two more, Jelina yelled, "Dana, run!"

Popping out of the trees were more back-up, consisting only of Sangjae, Sasa, Claude, and Rosy. The last to stumble out of the bushes was Dune who shouted, "Over here, Dana!"

Confused as ever, she stood still and shouted back, "How'd you find me?"

"Judas's the best! Our highschool code for when we're in trouble," recalled Dune, side-stepping past the side-battles. Before he made it to her, he ducked as one of Osu's guard flew over his head. Catching her by the wrist, he flipped it around and showed her. "Someone sent me a letter of confirmation with your handwriting and a tracker detector, and I thought it would belong to you."

A black sticker adorned the spot above her wrist pulse. Head cocked, Dana didn't know what to make of Osu now until the next moment his kick missed her by inches.

Dune yanked her away in time, but this was a fight Dana could handle. Peeling off the sticker, she flicked it off as by of grateful response, and faced Osu. There was an understandable silence, ignoring everyone else in combat, when he lunged toward her again.

If it was to fool the others, Dana thought their fighting was stage worthy. They exchanged attacks that were calculated at first before Osu began to deviate. His leg poised to raise, he landed a solid blow to her shoulder. That was fine. Unaltered anger wasn't her leading emotion, not even when he dipped fluidly from the strike of her arm, and shoved her to the ground. She rolled over in time and, he hovered above her, just close enough for her to knee him in his gut. His eyes squinted but he picked himself up fine.

In his moment, Dana took a glance around. It made sense—a whole lotta sense now. She'd seen how everyone fought and they were drastically sluggish and weaker than usual. This wasn't in their favor when there were reinforcements, dispersing from the building.

"Osu," she said. He lifted his hand from his stomach. "C'mon."

Something like anger coursed through her veins now. He had to fight for his side, and she would fight for hers. Pain exploded as he cracked his head to her chin and her tongue bled from between her grated teeth. In return, she seized his arm and gave him her specialized kick against a poor wall. The ache in Osu's gut began to consume him, or at least that was what Dana thought.

Osu collapsed. Chunks of the building's concrete splattered over him. Blood splayed across her lips, Dana was far from finished but she had stopped.

"Osu—?"

It wasn't just her. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing as they heard him. Even though his mouth was muffled against the grass, Osu released a strangled scream, one that Dana never heard of before, and back then she'd imagine him in anguish for her own amusement.

In a flash, Leo teleported to his side and sliced the air with his arm. "Call the twins!" he snapped and wound Osu's arm around his neck. "Get his meds! Our priority is Young Master!"

Dana was at a loss. She reached out her hand and mumbled, "Osu?"

He couldn't hear. He both crumbled against Leo, and fought against him, his arms wrenched back to his sides, around his abdomen. Other guards were collecting around him, offering him multi-colored medicines that he thrashed out of their hands. It just didn't make any sense to Dana. Out of the corner of her eyes, the other heroes were sneaking back into the bushes, but she needed to see Osu. A tortured, pallid countenance peeked from his guards' clustered figures. More and more, Dana couldn't understand how she could bring Osu down to this; his screaming even more splitting than before.

" _Dana!_ " Brought back to reality, Dune seized her by her wrist. "Let's go!"

"Bu-But we can't just—" That trailed off her bloody tongue and it was her mistake to chance a last glance at Osu, becoming shrouded more and more by help he refused to receive.

Would he have received hers?

Dune noticed. "Dana?"

"I… I-I—"

There was no need for whatever she had to say. Dune knew best. Even though he was taking her far, far away from this cursed place, Dune noted that Dana, Vice Chief of SPOON, had hesitated for a villain.

 **.**

It was just the three of them tonight. Chilling in her living room, Guineung was passed out in her lap and Luda had fallen asleep on her shoulder. They both had missed her terribly, and while Dana spent as much as her time as she could with them, she'd missed a lot of work. Though her kidnapping was a complete accident, Chief made sure to leave her paperwork to stack up. Damn Chief.

A kink in her neck started up again. Groaning, Dana maneuvered herself out of being both Guineung's and Luda's pillow so she could get up and stretch. Papers fell as soon as she stood, smattering across the carpet, and she heaved another groan. On her knees, she added the fallen papers to the ones in her hand and stopped as she picked some up from under her sofa.

"Huh," she mumbled and read the first line. "This is… Doyoung-sunbaenim's lab notes?"

Eventually, her facial features brightened with recognition. These were the notes that one time at the labs with Rosy's team to investigate Doyoung's disappearance. The folder in his locked drawer. _Right, right, right_ , she thought and raked her hair back.

 **You're Welcome** glared at her once again. Flipping past that and then numbered lab results, Dana frowned. She couldn't understand this shit. Why did he send this to her in the first place? Finally, she landed on a page which highlighted a whole paragraph and was typed for Dana's understanding;

 _Vice Chief, we have reason to believe from the evidence left behind at Mission #5325, the suspect you found in the Oz's origin room is not a normal human. Foreign, human traces found in the aforementioned room belonging to him have matched to the Oz, leading us to believe that—_

Rolling her eyes, Dana muttered, "Don't need these anymore. Thanks anyway, Sunbaenim." She tossed the whole pile into the trash, the paper with the highlighted paragraph still bared to be read;

— _the suspect you found is the Oz as in he is something like a drug human. You should come by and really see this, it's incredible stuff. By the way, your traces were found in that room as well, so I decided to play around a bit. It's funny, this discovery, that you and I can be alike—I believe, like me, you are not affected by the person known to be the Oz._

—

 **a/n:** hmm. that makes sense right? that makes sense lol.

i'm in eternal gratitude to my beta **Eternal Nocturne** (she's been checking my shit for over a year now wow?) and to all of you who reviewed; **SmolAsianBean, cuttoncandyhair, Siena,** and **divaileth**!


	17. this lunatic night swallows me

**.**

 **17\. this lunatic night swallows me**

 **.**

Just as Dana and Guineung arrived at SPOON, they bumped into Rosy's team in the lobby. Busy as they were, Dana wouldn't want to bother but they didn't mind that their Vice Chief and mini secretary would be spending their morning break altogether. It wasn't like she was interrupting their work. In the mind of their superior, Dana would think that they would be working but, of course, why would they?

Unless working counted as Coworker A peered way too close for comfort into Coworker B. And it was so obvious Sasa was about to pass out on the spot until Jelina said, "You know you're really growing into this suited look. Like a special agent's hero." He nodded as his way of gratitude. "But hey, aren't your bangs kinda shabby? They're blocking your face."

Immediately, Sasa raised a hand to his hair. His mouth a crumpled press of his lips, he stared hard at the ground and said nothing at all.

"Huh?" A note of realization raising her voice, she asked, "Did you pluck your eyebrows?"

As Dana plugged one finger into her ear, Rosy boomed, "What?!" Most of his face was overtaken by a giant grin that emitted roars of laughter. " _Bahahhaha!_ "

Guineung could sense Dana's irritation and precariously tugged at her sleeve. A simple _hey-your-temple-vein-is-showing_ tug, but before Dana could plug her fist into his mouth, Jelina turned to Rosy and retorted, "Stop laughing! He's still a hundred times better looking than you are!"

"Aw~ Hahaha," he sniggered.

"Even without eyebrows, Sasa looks a hell of a lot better than you did in a suit."

"Now you're just saying that to hurt my feelings."

"Even if I am, I—"

Having blocked out their argument a long time ago, Dana faced Sasa and Sangjae. As the former appeared to be sweating bullets, the latter exhaled a small sigh and raised his cup of coffee. "Don't worry, they're dating…" he mumbled. Then he paused mid-sip and gave Dana an uneasy look. "Vice Chief, you didn't know?"

She blinked, her index finger frozen before flipping her paperwork. _What the fuck?_ What was it with people ending up with the worst for each other? For a split second, Osu waved at her within her mind, but shaking her head, Dana demanded, "When was this?"

"Wight before Chutheok," answered Sasa, his hand to his temple. Dana noticed his discomfort speaking with her. And having seen him burst into tears didn't automatically close that distance? "Tat muth be teh week you dithappeared."

"Chuseok!" Jelina repeated, her hair tangled around Rosy's head. "Sasa, you went back to the mountains for your family, right?"

His hand lowered to his neck again, he gave a slight nod. Though it was a yes-or-no question, Sangjae elaborated for him, "Wow, you drove eight hours to see your family? Is it really worth it just to see your family?"

A whip of pink-purplish locks missed Sangjae's head, just barely. As he gasped on his knees, breathing visible puffs, Jelina said, "Of course, it's worth an eight-hour car ride to see his family! By the way, Sasa," she inched closer to him, dragging Rosy along with her against his will, "does your family not have eyebrows too?"

From within her hair, Rosy could still burst with laughter. Jelina didn't waste time shutting that down as Sasa attempted to bring the conversation back to Dana. Somehow, the discomfort disappeared when he calmly asked, "Wathn't it?"

The dates going back and forth in her mind, Dana realized Sasa was right. Right after she got back, and coincidentally the last day of Chuseok, her mom kicked her ass for missing a family-oriented occasion, even if she was accidentally kidnapped. Not like her ass wasn't being kicked by Chief. There was so much shit to do, for SPOON and her family. Resisting to just drop her head onto her work, Dana ignored Sangjae's look of pity and straightened her papers together. She'd already waste so much time with Rosy's team.

"Wait, Dana," called Jelina, wrangling herself out of Rosy's hold. He sniggered just as she headbutted him in the chin. "I heard the research team's done with their new missile."

If Jelina heard about it, then it must be one hundred percent true. "They finished it now? Finally," Dana huffed, and she checked her watch. "I'm gonna go. The training room?"

A small voice piped up, "Training room?"

Since he sorta asked, Guineung was authorized to tag along with Dana. After she asked a SPOON researcher to let them in, Guineung peeked into the open doors. It led to an open arena with high ceilings, high windows, and distinguishable marks along the ground. A lot of those, or perhaps all of them, were from Dana's hands. But they still haven't filled in that small hollow where that steel moron had her strung with his stupid steel power.

Gritting her teeth, Dana introduced, "This is the training area. Although I'm pretty much the only one who uses it now…"

There wasn't much to look at. Even so, Guineung slowly took in his surroundings before pointing upward. "That looks strange…" Dana's gaze followed the end of his finger. "Are those dice?" Her eyes squinted with thought. The rocket machines along the upper walls really did look like dice.

"No," Dana said, her index finger tapping against her chin.

Guineung tilted his head, still staring at the machines. That was right, Dana wanted to test the new missile. From the windows, Dana could see that the lead researcher had arrived. Though inaudible to Dana, the lead researcher was speaking excitably to the researcher Dana just spoke to. Something seemed off though. Before she could figure it out, she yanked on Guineung's hold just as the machines he was scrutinizing suddenly aimed at them and fired.

Audible now, the researchers were screaming from above. It was just white noise for Dana. Her hold with Guineung only mattered as she felt his hand still squeezing to hers. Godt, how stupid could she be to let him in _before_ they tested the missile so now everything was her—

"Vice Chief! Guineung!" The lead researcher was teary-eyed as her colleague, the medical team, and even Rosy were hurrying over to her. "Is Guineung alright?"

Of course, their concern should be Guineung. But then Dana stared down at him, somewhat tattered than before, in addition to still being in one piece beside her. Strangely enough, he blinked at her with his droopy eyes, incredulous as well, as he tested his hand, clenching once, twice to hers.

 _He's alright_ , thought Dana with a wave of relief. But then, _He's alright?_

 **.**

It was well into their dinner before Dana could actually unravel the superhero potential that was Guineung. Dune was piqued to hear about this, but also his presence was necessary. She had asked Dune to tutor Dune during Osu's stubborn _I-cannot-bear-to-speak-with-you-any-longer stage_ , and now Dune's presence was prolonged to _I-screamed-like-bloody-murder-are-you-actually-worried-about-me?_

"The research team wanted him back so they could do some harmless testing with him, and as his guardian, I wanted to know," Dana explained. Her little secretary was perfectly fine, maybe with a few pricks from needles and less material of his DNA stored in SPOON's research department, completing workbook pages that Dune had brought over to the tented restaurant after both their hero work ended. Turned out Dune was a much better teacher than Osu. "Can you believe he has powers too?"

Pointing to Guineung's workbook, Dune said, "Cross-multiply here." Then to Dana, he crossed his arms again and replied, "I wouldn't have suspected it, but. Guineung can copy other's superpowers?"

"Yeah. There's just one thing." Prompted by Dana, Guineung held her hand as he picked up a set of metal chopsticks and crushed it within his palm. Like it was paper, like with the ease belonging to the Vice Chief. As Guineung handed them to Dune, she said, "They think he can only copy powers by touch, and it has to be skin-to-skin contact too so can't be fighting someone who's, I don't know, an astronaut?"

"I don't think he'll be fighting an astronaut," chuckled Dune. Observing carefully, he twirled the balled-up chopsticks like it was made from glass and slid them back to Dana. "Might want to fix that since it's not your own."

That wasn't a problem. Just as easily as Guineung did, Dana smoothed the silverware out while Dune looked over Guineung's work and assigned him a different subject. Weird how Dune had suggested to enroll him in school, yet he was doing a subpar job teaching Guineung himself. Plus, the kid wanted so badly to work at SPOON rather than go to school. The choice might've been up to her, but she wasn't sure if that was exactly the best move for him. Wasn't there a law against child labor?

Breaking Dana out of her thoughts, Dune fidgeted with his glasses before saying, "It's a good thing you told me about KNIFE's infiltration. I probably shouldn't be telling you this but," he raised a fist to his chin, "we've scrapped our current plans concerning Kanna's transfer."

It might've been guilt that left Dana with no words. Or maybe she just didn't have anything good to say other than, "So?"

If he was hesitating to tell her, Dana didn't blame him. "I've been thinking," Dune said, "perhaps it is best to just detain her at POT since our security has been doubled and maintain a front that we would be transferring her elsewhere. It isn't permanent to keep Kanna there but just until they suspect that we might be keeping her at POT permanently. Like a reverse psychology sorts of move."

"Sounds like something you would do," she said.

He shook his head. "I've been talking it over with Claude, and he said it might be better just to transfer her as soon as possible."

"You guys being rushed?"

A pause followed as Dune pushed his food around. "Not exactly, but we suspect since KNIFE has infiltrated our location, they might have an upper hand… That's only a possibility, of course."

Well, shit. They wouldn't have infiltrated in the first place if Leo didn't get inside. Actually, it was all their dumb asses that didn't use him in the first and foremost place, but then again, Osu did say Leo was his head bodyguard which meant he worked for Osu mostly, then KNIFE at whole… He did tell his subordinates to ditch getting her back just so they can get Osu some meds.

For the fifty-millionth time—and that was not considering the aftermath of guilt-ridden, sleepless late nights she'd been having all week—her concerns wandered to him, wherever he was, whatever he was doing. Hopefully, neither dying nor dead.

"You should let me know if I can help in any way," she said and checked her phone. Still, no response from Osu, not even a little message, nothing, nada.

"Don't worry about it," assured Dune as Guineung passed over the workbook. Checking over his answers with a chopstick at first, Dune switched over to a red pen and replied, "We'll have her transferred to a secure location soon enough. I suppose this blip made us realize we should keep our own place more guarded as per usual."

After all this shit, Dune was still trying to be Mister Brightside. Not that Dana didn't appreciate his effort, but she didn't have a good feeling about all this. Right, because all—most of this was her fault, and yet because of an mysterious reasoning separate from that, a sort of sinking feeling churned her stomach.

Still, she left it at that and asked, "Have you heard from Judas?"

"Dying, I suppose," Dune answered tiredly, like they were talking about him.

"Is he still doing that talent company thing?"

"As a matter of fact, he is developing his entertainment agency, and it's taking up all his time so I haven't seen him since you guys helped me with wedding errands."

"I haven't seen him since that time either." She gaped. "That was a while ago."

For a moment, Dune didn't seem to believe her incredulity. "We've all been busy, haven't we?"

"Right. Busy. How about you and Claude?"

Finally, a sincere smile graced Dune's tired face. It softened the lines around his eyes. "We've decided during New Years to have the wedding since we can gather our families together. It's more convenient that way." Like Dana, he didn't eat much and picked up his water glass. "Claude appears to be more excited than me, spilling the details to everyone at POT, but the excitement still affects me the same."

Her friends being in love was great, but Dana teased, "Like you guys weren't always excited around each other."

"That was mostly Claude."

"The excitement still affected you, didn't it?"

A cup of water to his lips, his laugh rippled across the surface. "It did. It'd be nice if you and Luda turned out to be long-term," he murmured. A grin swept across her expression, but for some reason, Osu's mirroring face fluttered to her mind. She would have punched the nearest wall, but Dune would've yelled at her. His finger tapped, itching for a cigarette, but as though he remembered Guineung was right there, he finished checking right or wrong and commented, "Well done."

"Yeeeeeesssss," he squealed and flashed Dana the red-scribbled pages. What was she supposed to say? Dune already said well done. Before she went with a bland 'cool,' Guineung exclaimed, "I got a seventy-eight! Don't forget you said if I got over seventy, you would take me to the zoo for the whole day!"

Something about Dana's expression suggested not only she forgot, she had no idea what Guineung was talking about. Then, one, he would make this shit up, or two, she'd just been assigned so much shit that she couldn't tell what she said or didn't say anymore. One could be likely, though two was probably more than likely.

No other way to find out than glance at Dune and cock her head. Like she thought, he caught on fast enough. But she didn't think he would roll his eyes and cock his head as well to say, _Of course you promised him that, how could you forget?_

As though she'd known all along, Dana said, "I know. I change my mind." She shrugged and took a swig of water. "Seventy is too easy, you need eighty or above."

In response to that, Guineung puffed up his cheeks and plopped his head upon his workbook. He knew better than to throw a tantrum so he sat quietly in his seat, kicking his legs where she couldn't see. Though the brunt of his kicking was apparent to Dune, who was seated across from him, and he scooted over his chair. Because she wasn't going to say anything, Dune gave Guineung a strained smile as he kicked Dana from under the table.

Lenience wasn't something Dana grew up with. Yet she sighed, her palm patting Guineung's back twice, and she said, "Good work, Guineung."

Apparently, that was all he needed as, like a light switch, his expression brightened before her and suddenly had the energy to eat. Was that it? Scratching her head, she shrugged to Dune who returned the motion, and they both followed Guineung to finish their dinner.

His chopsticks against his chin, Dune spoke up, "I've been meaning to ask, Dana, you didn't really tell me how the kidnapping went." His chopsticks down, he poked at his food and wondered over his next words. "That is, if you don't mind going into the details. I can understand if it was a week you don't want go over."

"No, it's fine. It just bombed. I felt like dying."

He lifted an eyebrow. "You looked fine when we came for you."

"'Cause I was fine physically. Mentally?" With a roll of her eyes, Dana scoffed and glanced into her glass of water. Almost empty. Calling the waitress, she added on, "I met the human form of a headache, you know."

"Baekmorae."

"I hate him."

Another chuckle, though stifled, left his tight lips. "As do we all."

"He's a fucking crazy-ass piece of shit."

"Dana," coughed Dune. To her left, Guineung stared up at her with panda eyes, wide and drooping with the curious tilt of his head.

"Don't say that or you're dead," warned Dana. As Guineung didn't seem to take that seriously at all, she spoke to Dune in a much less grated tone, "I'm gonna catch him and the Oz and you know what—I'll just bring down KNIFE in its entirety myself." It was a pretty high ambition for her, or any hero in that matter, but self-confidence swelled in her smirk.

Dune heard that mid-chew, and he swallowed hard before saying, "It's not just SPOON. POT has been struggling to bring down KNIFE, Dana."

"Yeah, 'cause you guys didn't have me."

Amused, he brought his hand to his mouth. "You made that very clear."

"So? Think if I talk to Chief, he'll allow me to do like a joint mission with you guys?" suggested Dana.

"Isn't that what we did with the Oz infiltration party?"

The night Osu was oh-so obviously the Oz. Her hands forming fists, she said, "You guys caught Kanna because of me."

"I think you should make some progress on catching the Oz first," Dune remarked.

"I know," she said. Dune glanced into her eyes, a scarlet glare that could slice him if she fixated upon him. "I promised you."

Perplexed, he said, "You did what?"

As though Dune disappeared on the spot, she gave Dune a strange look and hid her face with the swivel of her chair. Although the time was deep into the evening, baby blue ghosted across the night sky, and Dana wondered if the Oz gave off side effects. Or was it Osu? "Nothing," she said, more so to herself, "It's nothing, Dune."

 **.**

When Dana and Guineung returned home, they were met with a baby blue blur. Guineung wailed with teary delight as Dana squirmed in his hold. His head lifting off Dana's arm, Osu wiped at the corner of his smiling eyes and held Guineung's hands. "Welcome home," he said, his voice wobbling, yet those two words rolled effortlessly off his tongue.

"Welcome home, Hyung!" repeated Guineung, crying against his robe.

Squinting hard, Dana brushed off her jacket and maneuvered around Osu. It really was him. There wasn't a semblance of the last image she'd seen of him, only a beaming and bright-eyed blue boy. That Osu didn't spark her temper, rather she touched his shoulder calmly.

He locked eyes with her, brimming with contentment. Like he felt back at home. "Have you been well, Dana-ssi? And Guineung?" he said to them.

"Yeah." Her hand off, she rubbed her neck. "Have you?"

"I'm alright."

Blubbering, Guineung was rubbing his tears and snot onto Osu's clothes. More amused than anything, Osu tousled his hair, intermingling white and black strands as Dana mumbled, "Before—you didn't look or sound alright."

"Guineung," said Osu, kneeling to his height. "I left you some gifts on the balcony. Why don't you open them?"

That was all the incentive he needed before he practically lunged his way past the living room and onto the open balcony. Her eye on his happy lil face, Dana crossed her arms and said, "You're spoiling him."

Osu brushed down the wrinkles and mess Guineung left on his robe. Standing straight, he said dryly, "You're not?"

"Are you really alright? You're not saying that to make me feel less guilty?"

A moment passed before her strained words implied exactly what Osu was thinking. "Dana-ssi," he called, "you do pack quite a punch, but don't worry about it. That wasn't you. Well, most of it wasn't you."

Wasn't her? _Impossible._ "Then how do you explain—"

"Dana." Lowering his voice, even if Guineung was too busy playing with his presents, Osu explained, "I was in pain, I will admit to that. Not just you, you realize I don't have a warrior's constitution at times. And because of that, Leo prioritizes me over anyone else. Appropriate as my lead guard, however, your safety and your escape was my priority." She leaned in, drawing in the dots he was pointing out.

A moment passed before Dana said, "I didn't want you to pick me over you."

He snuck a glance back at Guineung before whispering, "I didn't know when an opportunity like this was going to come again. I had to make a diversion; however, real it may seem, I succeeded in creating that opening for you, haven't I?"

Her voice sounded like it was melting with each guilt-heavy breath. "So… you were…"

"It wasn't real," he said softly.

Osu had gone a long way, Dana realized. He offered his hands to her, always pale and puny in her eyes, but she slowly lay her palms to his. His strength was as weak as ever, or maybe he was being needlessly gentle with her, as he squeezed his hold to hers. Gently, yet it was firm and still somewhat of strength. Neither dying nor dead.

"You're alright?"

"I'm alright." He gave her a blue boy's smile. Weird how she no longer wanted to punch him in the throat or face. Or both. "Really, I'm alright."

Instead, she willed herself to smile back. There was a shift in the air, especially for Osu who shivered and held her hands a slight tighter. Just before he could do anything else, Guineung popped back into the apartment and dragged a panda plush into the apartment. For a moment, Dana thought it was real since it towered over Guineung and she whipped her hands to her sides, prepared to kick out panda ass. Godt knew how done she was with strangers in her apartment.

"Osu-hyung!" yelled Guineung, climbing on top of his new best friend. "I love it! It's so cute I'm gonna die!"

The moment gone, Osu strode over to Guineung and helped steady him. Still all smiles, he told him, "I thought you would. Love it, I mean." He glanced at Dana who stared at it like she didn't have space for it. She really didn't. "If you're okay with it, Dana-ssi?"

"Uhh. Sure," she mumbled, one hand raking back her long hair. "I'll spoil him."

Osu blinked at her at first before he covered his laugh against his hand, though it slipped through his fingers. Still using his other hand for help, Guineung balanced upon its shoulders and leveled with Osu. "Hyung," he called, "Dana said if I get over eighty on my next mathematics, she'll take the day off to go to the zoo with me. Osu-hyung should come."

A lightbulb went off over Osu's head. Grinning, he said to Guineung, "I heard on the night of Christmas Eve, they'll be allowing their inhabitants to open their gifts early."

"I wanna go," he gasped, swiveling to Dana with such urgency.

A hand against her brow, she said, "I do have the day off, but…"

"But?" Osu and Guineung repeated.

Luda did mention something about Christmas Eve, Dana couldn't recall what it was, and her headaches snuck on her at full force. It was eerie how thinking about one conversation with her girlfriend invited pain but Dana didn't think much about it. "I'll see what I can do," she decided.

"Dana-ssi."

"What?"

"This is it." She met with blue eyes glittering with possibility. "Pay me back with this one date."

She blurted, "Date?"

Certainty suited him as he nodded wildly. "December twenty-fourth. You, Guineung, and I go out to the zoo and watch them open gifts. Save that date for us."

Right, she did promise him that all. Except there was a prickling sensation at the back of her mind, and Dana didn't want to finalize things without full consideration. She owed Osu though. And it wasn't like she didn't want to go. Guineung would probably have the most fun he had in months, considering she didn't take him out much and she tried to… Osu usually did that, and really, it was about time she joined in.

"Sure," she decided a second time around. Osu and Guineung cheered and beat upon the panda plush's head with whirling fists. It was weird how a simple assent would lead to their excessively enthusiastic energy. Dana didn't mind it too much though.

Maybe she even liked it. Just the three of them on a night out. Right, maybe, she had something to be excited for as well.

 **.**

Falling back into their usual routine, or just their usual Osu-oriented routine, Dana and Guineung were asleep in bed after Osu hung around for dinner. Guineung's head pillowed upon her abdomen, slowly rising and falling with her even breathing. After a stressful week waiting for him, all that toxic shit left her mind and she was finally, at long last, able to fall into bed somewhat easily with nothing on her mind but quiet dreams.

Quiet dreams didn't suit her when a non-dreamlike ringing interrupted her cackling over a beaten Baekmorae. His defeated image cutting off like a shitty television channel, she tossed her hand out onto her nightstand. Still atop her, Guineung wiggled further into the blankets as she answered the call with a garbled, "Wmat?"

"Dana! Get outside right now!"

It was that blue shithead. Her fingers pinching her closed eyes, she replied, "Goodnight, obnoxious loser."

Before she went straight to End Call, Judas shouted, "Don't, you dumb fuck!" Not quite a statement to make her stay so she hovered over the button as he said, "Did you read any of the messages?! Fuckin'—just—I'm outside your apartment! Come out with Guineung if you don't wanna leave him home alone!"

"Why the fuck would I do that?!"

"I'm telling you one more time! _Come outside, asshole!_ "

Since he was first to press End Call, Dana rolled onto her stomach with her phone still in hand. At first, she was considering the sweet arms of sleep but then she heard honking. It bombed he was interrupting her sleep, but if she interrupted her neighbors, that was the last straw. Though Guineung was way too sleepy, like her, to go out so while putting on her jacket, she called Osu. Sleepy as well, he agreed to watch Guineung since he was pretty much alone at his place.

Five minutes later, she rushed outside to Judas who kept honking like he needed to test it out for five minutes straight. After he unlocked the passenger door, Dana came in, buckled her seat in, and cracked her fist against his nose. She thought he would return the favor, but rather with a slight bruise, he painstakingly focused on the road.

"Read," he demanded. "Your phone messages."

As Dana painstakingly did what he did, she snapped, "I haven't seen you and that's all you have to say to me? Judas, you can be a complete shit friend when it comes to—"

 **Are these Judas' and Dana's numbers? I would call but I suppose the both of you are asleep, I'm assuming. This is Dune's Mother. You kids don't come by anymore, and I thought you two were trouble from the start.**

"She's nagging us."

"Keep reading."

 **But Dune said you punks were his closest friends so accepted it. I thought as his closest friends, you should be informed that Dune caught into a terrible accident at work. It happened an hour ago? He's in the hospital now and I would be on my way, but I cannot see him until the morning. I thought because you two live so close by, you would want to stay with him.**

That was it for Dana. There were more messages from Chief. She didn't have to read the whole thing to pick up key phrases like "POT bombing," "Kanna's disappearance," and "suspected KNIFE's doing."

A hand across her eyes, Dana sighed. "Holy… Fucking shit."

"We're here," said Judas, setting the car to park. "Let's go."

As soon as they left the car, he whirled around to her and returned the favor. Their hands grabbled upon each other, Dana would've gladly incited a hospital parking lot fight at like two in the morning. But if Dune was here, he wouldn't like that. Upon entering, the receptionist stared at their slightly injured faces and muttered something under her breath.

Judas spoke with her while Dana stood on the spot, too awake to go back to sleep. Somewhere in here, Dune was probably pissing himself with guilt. He and Claude oversaw Kanna's transfer and for her to not only become released, but to have POT bombed to bits, that said something about KNIFE after all. Dune had warned her, and she started to think… Did she really know what she was up against?

"Dana." She turned to Judas, who cocked his head. "C'mon."

Silently, they walked stride in stride to each other even though only Judas knew the room number. When he considerately nudged the door open, Dana moved in first to steal first look at Dune.

Upon his bed, he was resting sitting up with his eyes peacefully closed. He was bandaged all over his head and over his left right eye, supposedly mummified underneath his hospital gown as well, and wore a cast on his left arm. Shaking her head, Dana walked over to his bedside with Judas trailing behind her and called lightly, "Dune?"

At once, his left eye opened and he turned just enough to face her and Judas. Synchronized almost, they leaned onto his bed and stared at him with wide, worried gazes. He looked like he was about to get sick underneath all their staring, and he collapsed against Judas.

Sympathy softened the usual edges in his voice. "You alright, Dune?"

Coming way too close for the usual Dana, she touched Dune's unbroken arm. "You can tell us anything, Dune."

There was a moment like Dune had something he struggling to say. Dana and Judas didn't expect that to be the case when a sob, like the crack of glass, pierced the room's silence and he wept against Judas's shoulder. "Claude's gone," he confessed clearly enough. "And I have killed a hero."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** should be aligning more to pre-canon right... hm...


	18. you must be kidding me

**.**

 **18\. you're saying this is fair, this is my fault, this is justice,  
you must be kidding me? **

**.**

For someone whose human nature was to follow up on whatever he said and did, Dune left it at that. Claude was gone in the sense of forever. That, but not only that—Dune just killed a man, or in his own words, a hero. For once, Dana prayed those two statements weren't related. As another hero right beside him, she'd like to press him for a squeeze more details, but instead, they sat in silence while Dune dissolved into an inconsolable, teary mess.

It was a rarity that Dune blazed with overwhelming emotions, but with all fire, he was due to burn out.

Since he needed a moment to himself, his moment dragged the minutes into a few hours. Dana and Judas didn't say much when there wasn't much to say. Like the good friends they were, they waited in good nature until he was the third silent one. When it was about time for something to be said, Judas whispered, "Dana." She didn't really get to look at him, but those eyebags were baggier in the light. "I'm gonna grab some drinks," he said, jabbing his thumb at the door.

Dune didn't say anything when Judas got up. Dana supposed after the non-hero would leave the room, Dune would then be able to spill all sorts of confidential shit. Yeah, that must be it, no common civilians allowed. But even after Judas closed the door, Dune continued to lie in bed with his good arm over red-rimmed eyes.

She had to say something so she said, "Can you talk about it?"

Near inaudible, he admitted, "I'd rather not."

Though she took her heroic position seriously, she took Dune more seriously. "I respect that."

"I will tell you this." His arm slipped, resting onto his abdomen, as his gaze focused point-blank above Dana's head. Whatever he had to tell her, Dana had a feeling he couldn't say it to her eye-to-eye. "I tried to save Claude, and I've taken another's life instead."

 _What the fuck?_ Was that supposed to answer anything? Se'd press him, but Dune wouldn't speak further of it. She told him she respected that. Why'd she have to go and tell him that? Her head couldn't wrap around the fact that he in some way or another tried to save Claude, and somehow that didn't work out when he was gone, plus another fucking hero? thought process of it all felt more like jumping mental, hypothetical hurdles that were biased to be higher than possible from the start.

His hand thumped to the edge of his bed. A bandage pad was taped to the back of his hand, and Dana eyed it with the matter from before on her mind. "Dana," Dune said. More than a slight distracted, she nodded. "Thanks for seeing me, but you…"

A shakiness to his voice couldn't be a good thing. "But I?"

"Could you check up on Judas?" he mumbled, causing her to wrinkle her brow. "I think something's up."

Weird how he deflected the matter to Judas. Or maybe it wasn't since Dune practically wasted his tears for the week. It was more sensible that he wanted his privacy back. "Sure, I'll be a sec," she said.

Somehow, it wasn't just about the drinks. The fucker himself was crouching before a vending machine, glaring holes into the hole where the drinks should've been coming out. Even though he always looked ready to fist fight, Judas was a missing coke bottle away from branding his fist into the machine.

"Hey," called Dana. Perhaps his eye twitched. "What're you doing?"

"I didn't put in any money."

"Then put some money in, dumbass."

Brushing off her usual jabs, Judas changed the subject. "Is he okay?"

A loaded question, but Dana went with, "In one way."

He paused, whatever on his mind at last forming words on his tongue. "I'm not okay."

"You're never okay."

"Dana." Both hands sliding down his temple, Judas grimaced. "I've fucked up."

Not surprising to Dana since this was Judas after all. Yet still kinda weird. The sort of weird where Dune was right when Judas was being weird as well. All in all, Dana didn't like this in the slightest and yanked him to the benches along the wall. After lobbing him a can of coffee, she rested a hand on her hip and shrugged. "You fuck up a lot. You'll bounce back like you always do."

His index finger drummed rapidly along the aluminum. "Not this time."

She wondered but said, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Judas pulled back the ring on top and took a single, slow swig. "You know, I thought I saw something genuine in these girls, and I'm trying to get everyone to see what I see, but…" Stronger than usual, Dana could see animosity glossing over his hawk eyes. What good were they if they couldn't burn a man into spontaneous combustion? "But assholes will be fucking assholes," he growled, a throaty utterance.

Judas' circumstance was a fairly jumpable hurdle. "Does this have to do with you knocking the lights outta that ex-senior shithead?"

It was kinda cool to see that terrifying scowl that everyone was so afraid of, especially since Judas rarely got pissed for someone other than himself. "I know you don't pay attention so I'll make it easy for you," he grumbled and drank yet again. Coffee probably wasn't his drink of preference. "They've purposely planned their shit around the same as mine. Of course, they'll get more attention, more views, more every-fucking-thing." Crinkling, the can in his hand started to cave in within his fist. "They're taking from my girls again, Dana," snarled Judas.

"Shit."

"They practically control this industry and I can't do shit about it," he said, suddenly raking a hand through his hair. His fingers curled inward, twisting around his bangs, and his frustration could've powered his bared glare into incinerating a man on the spot. "I don't know if I can afford to support their next release with what we're making. The girls are my biggest project, but I have other talents too. Fuck." Judas straightened and banged his head against the wall. "It hasn't been a good week."

It hadn't been a good night for Dune either. "You need to tell Dune."

Now he looked like she told him to rather push Dune out of a window, might as well end Dune's terrible night. "He's got enough shit on his shoulders," he retorted.

"He's the one that noticed how fucked up you are."

"How fucked up. Not that I have fucked up."

"How fucked up, have fucked up, it's the fucking same." Her hand rolled on her wrist, a brush-it-off sorta gesture.

For some reason, Judas cracked a smirk now and stood onto his feet. His typical cockiness exuded from the cock of his head. Wiggling his canned coffee between two fingers, he said, "If it's Dune, then fine."

Sometimes, Dana thanked her good stars that the three of them were so tight after all. When it came to Dana and Dune, Judas had no qualms buying them coffee like he was supposed to. They whispered to each other before slipping back into Dune's room. From his expression, it appeared they might have to prepare for Dune's moment, part two. They didn't mind; however, it was their duty as of now to at least try to distract him of other things. Such as their own problems.

"Dune, catch." As Dune smoothly caught the coffee, Judas pulled up the bedside chair and, with Dana leaning against the armrest, he said, "Haven't drowned in complete misery?"

It was a risky joke that Dune instantly got. Even then, he managed a half-assed semblance of a smile. It reassured no one, especially not the bearer himself. Regardless, Judas accepted whatever that was and declared, "I gotta say I've got some shitty news too." A hissed puff of air blew the bangs from his forehead. Agitated, Judas clawed them back and tried not to glare at Dana.

More exhausted than anything else, Dune said, "Tell me."

"Yeah. Well, apparently," Judas started, a hand rubbing awkwardly upon the nape of his neck, "my agency is going in the shitter because—"

"—because your last agency released the same week as yours." Both Dana and Judas snapped toward Dune, and they wondered simultaneously if tragedies triggered supernaturalism, like mindreading. "Your talent will be competing with theirs, but of course, with your competitor's established popularity, they're bound to overshadow the potential of yours." As though wizened from his own losses this night, Dune gave a long exhale and he finished coolly, "I know, Judas."

A hole could've replaced Judas' brain what with his terrible reaction time. Moments passed before he glanced from the ground to Dune, and he emitted a paper-thin chuckle. "I confronted the bastards and you know what they said?" A hand to his slowly shaking head, he bore a spiteful smile. "After that shit I pulled off, it's only fair if I fucking fail."

"Unbelievable," mumbled Dune.

Since it was Dana's turn, she commented, "They're asking for a second ass-kicking."

For the first in hours, Dune uttered something like a breathless laugh. He didn't sound completely like himself, yet it was something that had Dana and Judas sharing a glance. "That would undoubtedly result in digging a deeper hole for Judas," he said.

"Shit," she said.

"Fucking shit," added Judas.

Dana elbow-jabbed Judas as Dune said, "Baekmorae."

Hearing his name immediately formed Dana's hands into fists. It triggered her impulse for instantaneous violence, but for Dune, it weighed his tongue down. "Before he left… I locked eyes with him. I didn't say a word to him." His fingers curved over his nose and lips, a warm breath caught into his palm. "Nonetheless, he knew—he knew that above all else that I-I just wanted Claude to live…" Though he was well aware of his surroundings, there was a lost look in Dune's half-lidded gaze. "He locked eyes with me… He said this was justice," he murmured.

For Dune's sake, Judas would also don the utmost hellish of expressions. Dana was a bit more different. Rumination was her closest cover. Oh, she was fucking pissed as well, but she thought it over and over that Baekmorae would receive true justice—her justice which was basically kick Baekmorae down there and, but of course, watch his fall.

That son of a bitch would go down in her hands if it was the last heroic act she'd do.

"Dana?"

A thumbed fist to a corner of her curled mouth, she said, "Yeah, Dune?"

His fingers pressed into his lidded, possibly teary, eyes, then he lowered them to open his coffee. Yeah, he was close to crying again. "Do you have anything to tell us?" he asked in a steady voice.

"No?" she guessed.

A moment passed as Dune kept her gaze undauntingly. He took a cool sip before he asked, "That night… No, that week… Did something happen between you and KNIFE?"

Shit. Thankfully, stoicism was Dana's natural expression. "They tried to interrogate me and it was the worst?" she guessed again.

"Dana."

"Dune?"

 _Did he know?_ she thought as Dune asked her, "Did something happen… between you and the Oz?"

"The Oz?" Judas repeated, like two words were tugging at the recesses of his memory.

Dana ignored him. She had her own hurdle to jump. Of course, it wasn't going to be fucking easy.

First of all, there was a never more perfect chance to tell them about Osu. It was practically darkest-deepest-secrets hour and while Dune technically got a free pass for some details, they both deserved an explanation for her slightly off behavior. That was obviously due to Osu. It was all that she had to say, yet three words could tear her trio apart. Dune would be crushed, and Judas would understand that she had betrayed her own occupation, and there was a never more unwanted ending than the one that was to come.

So she derailed from the tracks of that future and said, "Nope. I'm not okay but you know, work and shit. The usual shit." Fake as fuck, she added on, "Listen, I'm wholly, totally fine."

 **.**

Dana sipped her coffee with the moderate amount of cream and sugar. The expresso shots on the other hand was unmoderated, to say the least, and she closed her eyes, drinking in the caffeine with the peace of a stray dog minutes before the garbage was to be thrown out. But then Luda leaned into her peripheral vision, which then sparked her memory. It was a coffee date-ish, a rarity after all the shit Dana just explained to her girlfriend.

A demure hand to her lips, Luda gasped. "POT exploded? How awful."

It really was. There was only one silver lining, specifically in Dana's situation, and that was only that SPOON had always been the background heroics while POT was around. And now that they're mostly gone, the survivors were either recuperating, like Dune, or working at SPOON unofficially. Just until they dig a little deeper into how Baekmorae infiltrated POT so easily and then blew that shit up. Just how could that shitty villain do such a shitty thing?

A nibbling feeling like piranha teeth sank into Dana's mind, and she rubbed the nape of her neck. "Yeah. There's a lot of work to be done," she said. "During my one break today, Chief and I, we had a talk."

Her hands warming around her mug, Luda nodded. "Was it a good talk or a bad talk?"

That was just it. Stuck, Dana admitted, "I don't know."

"What was it?" asked Luda.

"Chief…" Trailing off, Dana didn't know how to express her mixed feelings in the matter until she just said it. For some godtsaken reason, saying it felt just as heavy as not saying how she really felt about it. "Apparently, during our talk today, Chief said he thinks I'm ready even though I haven't been working long. And he thinks I'm ready to be Section Chief," she mumbled that last line.

A gasp parted from Luda's open mouth. If Dana didn't know how to think, she'd at least know Luda's feelings on the matter as she exclaimed, "Section Chief? That's a promotion from Vice Chief, isn't it?" Forward as ever, she grabbed Dana's hands and cheered, "Oh, Dana, how exciting is that?!"

It really was, but…

"But?" repeated Luda, confused as ever.

There went a strike going against her decision not to tell Dune and Judas. What moron would believe that there was actually a downside to being promoted as Section Chief?

"But…" But what? There was absolutely nothing in her way, and she damn well knew she deserved to be Section Chief. So there was no easy way to say this, then to make it hypothetical. Hypothetical reality then. "But let's say I know someone who didn't want me to take it?" Dana said.

Confusion intensified upon Luda's countenance. "Dana, you're hardly someone who would care if someone didn't want you to take it?"

"No, no, not that," grumbled Dana, a hand half masking her face. This wasn't going the way she wanted at all. If only she could tell someone about him, but she knew damn well she missed that mark. Starting over, she cautiously brought up, "It's not that they don't want me to, but more like, like, it'd be harder for me to continue talking to this person. No. Not just talking. I think they're kinda like part of what I do and… I kinda need them?"

All the stranger, there appeared to be an uncertainty about Dana. Watching her, Luda thought about it. "Dana, you keep saying 'kinda' regarding this person, and in my opinion, it would make a difference if you would say whether you need them or not."

Dana had to think about it. Really, it could go either way. In all honestly, she did not need him. Guineung would hate it as he did before, however, he would get over him. Leaving him just to her. Again, she did not need him. Dana believed if she could focus enough, she could get over him. Couldn't she? Could she really when there was an inarguable, inexplicable link between him and her that was beyond necessity. And, for one split-second, Dana was afraid.

"I don't know," she said, the only truth she could lay bare to Luda. "I don't think I need them. But I don't want to just _stop_ either. I won't do that again."

Luda listened, staying silent as she lingered on the steel certitude in Dana's jaw before she replied, "If I caught everything you're saying, Dana," she said as though she was more so her girlfriend's therapist, "you are saying that this job promotion will force you to break ties with this person that you want in your life?"

"Right. No, shit, no, no," she backtracked, one hand waving as though ridding of a mental pest, and she crossed her arms tightly. "I don't want them. I don't want them at all."

"Dana."

"This person—" began Dana and uncrossed her arms so she could gesture vehemently, "—this person came in and fucked everything up for me. They fucking did that. They just came in and forced themselves into my life, a wormy asshole with no regard for what I gotta do whatsoever, and—" Realization dawned upon Dana's hardened gaze. Her arms lowered, her fingers wrapping around her coffee. Lukewarm at this point, and her shoulders relaxed significantly. "And I guess when I needed help, they offered too much of it. They weren't so much of an asshole anymore. They wanted me to look at them and I—I've ignored them, and I fucked shit up. Godt, I fucked up," groaned Dana and, possibly ashamed of her actions, she hid her shaky scowl from Luda.

Sympathetic as ever, Luda patted Dana's shoulder. "Dana, if you're still asking me, it sounds like you don't want to take up as Section Chief because of this person."

"But I should."

"That's entirely up to you, Dana."

"No. You see?" A hand raking back her long hair, Dana stared into the beige reflection in her mug. Sad, really, and that was her opinion upon herself. "Why this is good and bad?"

Luda crossed her arms, leaned them upon the table. "I do, though I don't find it too bad."

In disbelief that her perspective wasn't relatable, Dana retorted, "Why not?"

A magical girl's smile swept across her lips. "You just have to choose between your job or your friend?"

"They're not my friend," corrected Dana.

"Then what are they?"

A good question Dana'd blocked from having to ask herself. Friend just didn't fit though their terms were along those lines. Adoptive partners? Co-parents? A hero and a villain who somehow got along after being in the same vicinity and caring for a panda boy for some time? It was the most accurate and the longest, however, there was no doubt Luda would want an explanation for that last one.

As Dana racked her head for a label that didn't exist, Luda leaned into her and said, "Hey, Dana. I've been thinking about this for a while—if this person has anything to do with SPOON, and this is totally wild, but you don't mean they're—"

"When's your next day off?" interjected Dana. Strange how intense and sudden her fixation was upon the curious glint in Luda's eyes.

Rather than finish asking her question, Luda answered Dana's. "I thought I told you. December twenty-fourth, Dana"

"December twenty-fourth?" For some reason, that date was marked important in her memory. And not just 'because it was Christmas Eve but…

Blowing steam off her coffee, Luda sniffed and said, "We usually have holidays off, right? The season of giving actually gives me a lil break for some good fortunate coincidence!" she beamed. "I was thinking we could go around the city since it gets really festive and romantic… But after that, I'm off to my parents and I'll be helping out with their hotel for a few months before I can return back here."

Shock wasn't the reaction Luda wanted when it came to their next, actual date, but she took it in as it is. "You don't wanna go?" she laughed, silvery yet obviously letdown.

"No, no, of course not," Dana repeated and she downed the rest of her coffee. Somehow, that quick swig was like a stall for time. Then she met eye-to-eye with Luda and asked, "When did you have to go help your parents out at their hotel?"

"Since forever?" she said. "It's tradition, Dana."

"Right…"

Taking her chances, Luda sidled up next to Dana's chair and twined her fingers with hers. Her hand had always fit, yet slackened as of now. "You know, you can come with me. Extend our time together a little longer, bring Guineung if you wanted to, and clearly you can finally meet my parents," she suggested.

"…Right."

Disappointment once again flickered onto Luda's forced smile and Dana backtracked as she said, "I'm sorry, unnie, maybe next time?"

"Sure," she chirped and slid her chair back.

"You don't think…" tried Dana, her arm kneading upon the nape of her neck. Normally, she'd just try to go with Luda's plans but right now, she wanted a compromise. "Maybe you can come back early?"

There was no way around it when Luda shook her head. "I've been helping my parents' business for years and I can't afford to cut it short now."

Disaster was spelled all over this. It was a forewarning if Dana could sense the signs of one, yet she decided to simply tread carefully. Being careful was all that she could do now, wasn't it? "December twenty-fourth's your only free day left?"

"Yes, unless I'm notified otherwise."

"Really?" stressed Dana.

"Yes, Dana." They've been going in circles now, which was beginning to irritate Luda. "Is there something wrong? I thought you spent the twenty-fifth with your family, not the twenty-fourth."

"No, no, unnie, you're right. Totally right. It's my bad that I maybe have…" Have what? Plans with some sorts of label-less person who she might care about more than she could ever admit? Nothing else she could do, whether he'd like it or not. "The twenty-fourth's a date then," finalized Dana with a note that didn't sound as convincing as she wanted.

 **.**

Dana didn't want to spoil Hyena's birthday with an argument irrelevant to her, however, there he was unannounced, all knowing with a wrapped gift in hand and with no trace of out-of-placement. Before his blue boy's gaze would meander over to her, Dana's thoughts died down to two outcomes. One, she had reason to get pissed due to the POT bombing and his standing association with the culprits. Or two, he had reason to get pissed due to the sudden canceling of December twenty-fourth, thus breaking her promise with him and Guineung.

Either topic she decided to begin with, neither would end well.

Thank Godt her mother strolled over to him first. He was right. They met before, inevitably, during one of his crash-teleportation at her place with the intention of helping out with Guineung. Somehow, her mother was fooled that he was her babysitter-cook-housekeeper handyman only in the domestic and parental aspect.

Hyena was wrapped around a balloon, and as Guineung blew up a spotted one, Dana swiveled around to the kids. There her mom was ambling toward her with Osu in a bright blue robe and bright eyes.

She counted to three before her mother called, "Dana!" Her gut twisting and turning like a whirlpool, Dana ignored it and swiveled back with a simple, "What, Mom?"

"Osu-hyung!" shouted Guineung, running straight into him, and Dana's mother's impression of him soared. On the other hand, seeing him churned Dana's gut and she'd kill for any other person to ruin her day.

Dana could always count on her mom when, like a viper's whip, she whacked the back of her head. "Don't 'what?' me!" she reprimanded.

Rubbing her head, Dana grumbled, "I'm sorry."

Just as he turned, her mother's demeanor brightened to match his. "This young man," her mother started, a hand out to beaming Osu upon being pointed out, "this polite young man is your hired help?"

Dana didn't need to stare at him. The corners of her eyes were already being blinded by the blue brightness that was a single man. Or just a single, blue boy. "Yeah, I hired him," she lied through her teeth. "I needed some help with Guineung, and you got your hands full with Hyena?"

How infuriating that he could shoot her mother with an angel's smile and she was sold, or as sold as she could be with starry eyes. "I understand, Dana, dear. Then—" With one arm, she shoved her daughter and waved her hand lightly, as though never sending Dana barreling besitowardde Osu, "—then why don't you show him around, and I'll watch Hyena and Guineung for a little while?"

"Mom, I—"

Her smile tighter than the pink curls of her perm, Dana's mother tugged Guineung to her side and said, "That wasn't a request, Dana."

"Fine, Mom," Dana said, grabbing Osu's hand, and she gave her mother a noncommittal smile. "I'll be glad to show him around, _Mom_." Osu wanted to say something during this terse exchange, however, he shut it as Dana's smile more so said _Please shoot me in the fucking face._

He remained quiet even when he was taken to Dana's old room, where she basically grew out her student years before moving out as soon as she graduated. It was plain like her apartment, though with one glance, Osu could tell hearts were a frequent symbol. They were decorated upon her pillow, her pencil cup, her curtains, and Dana was coincidentally kicking a heart-spotted plush under her bed.

He made the mistake of meeting her sneer. "What?"

"Dana-ssi, it's okay," he said, palms out in a display of relatable vulnerability. "I'm not your mother, Dana. I'm not judging you."

"You better not."

"Or I'm dead?"

"No," she scoffed. Wonder edged upon Osu's facial features. "I'm over that."

Brighter than ever, he burst into a wondrous grin. "I'm genuinely glad to hear that."

"Take a seat," she ordered and pointed to the bed. He did so, folding his robe skirts neatly from under his thighs. His grin hadn't decayed nearing her, rather Osu illuminated before Dana. "What the _fuck_ was that?" she snapped.

Though he wasn't smiling now, Osu's voice was light. "Oh." A sleeved hand to his lower lip, he murmured, "You must mean the POT bombing."

"Answer me," she demanded, antagonism poisoning her voice.

There was no better way to prove his innocence than to plan his words. Tread carefully because Dana's temper was the one bomb he didn't want to set off. "I know what you're wondering, and no, I didn't know we had arranged that attack," he told her.

Her arms crossed, Dana said, "You knew nothing?"

He shook his head and folded his hands into his sleeves. "I knew Baekmorae wanted Kanna back so he would arrange an infiltration into POT due to Leo's unsightly mistake—"

"Fuck."

"Dana-ssi?"

A veiny hand to her forehead, an expression akin to her mother ordering her around, but far far more contorted with frustration, overtaken her as she dropped next to Osu. "If the bombing happened 'cause of my kidnapping, then that was my fault," she realized under her breath.

A hand onto her shoulder, Osu was the pinnacle of calm attempting to reach over to her. "Dana-ssi, you know that's not true. You were kidnapped by my hand. If anything, you're as innocent as you should be," he said, coming closer. His scent was permeated with the herbs in his pillows, with sleep, and with a soothing spell that smoothed her worries down. "You didn't know what Baekmorae is capable of," he murmured, more so to himself.

 _Baekmorae?_ Her head shot up. "What'd you mean?"

"Baekmorae isn't a villain like me, Dana-ssi. I was unaware he arranged to destroy POT as well as any victims inside," Osu clarified.

"But it was a possibility!"

Osu considered her exclamation. "This is Baekmorae so, yes, it was a possibility."

Further, further, her agitation began to spiral out of her control. "Did you think about it? Didn't you already know Baekmorae would do it? That he's not close to you, that he wouldn't tell you, but you know he would do that sorta shit?" she questioned in rapid fire, close to clawing these unanswered thoughts from her mind.

"Dana-ssi," he called, gentle and guileless. His hands rested upon her forearms, his palms flat against her wrists. "Dana-ssi, I wish I could tell you all the bad things I've thought of Baekmorae doing."

"You could—Then why couldn't _you tell me_ —"

"Oh, Dana-ssi," he sighed then broke off into a sudden, sardonic laugh. "Wouldn't everything be easier if I could tell you everything, and you could tell me the same?"

The thoughts that had been multiplying like a virus in Dana's mind screeched to a stop, frozen in contact of an impasse, and they died down upon contact, all at once. Osu was right. Even though she did not know where he stood in her personal life, the edges blurring here and there, however, his position in her private life was blatantly clear. How blinding, how apparent it was that his side would always oppose hers. A villain was always a villain, and she, a hero was always a hero.

Grey clouds replaced the clusterfuck of unpleasant understandings in her head. Though there was a silver lining, and Dana twisted the silver into charcoal-black words she half-meant. "I think it's easier now for me to tell you this," she started, averting her gaze. She could feel eyes on her, burning more than blinding. "I can't make the twenty-fourth."

A blank reaction wasn't what she expected, or no, she knew ,and she didn't want this. Then again. Maybe he'd been upset with her some time ago, and there was never a light to him to begin with. For all she knew, she could be imagining those 'good' times. She could even be dreaming for all this shit couldn't be her reality. An impossible dream where allowing Osu to be happy within her lifetime as her joining KNIFE's side was an impossible nightmare.

It appeared to be like that sometimes.

Regardless, Osu said in a startling monotone, " _Oh_."

A lame explanation was poised on her tongue. She would've just said it aloud, at least an excuse was louder than a moment of burdensome disappointment, if he hadn't rushed to his feet and slammed white fists against her. Caught by surprise, Dana took a single step back. It didn't hurt or not in the physical sense.

Slowly, his hand pounded against her chest, a gavel striking against a sound block. "You said you'd follow us," Osu said.

"I know I did," she mumbled. It wasn't the right reply. Again, as though she was her own blockade from joining the twenty-fourth, Osu rained his fists upon her. It was pointless. Because it harmed him more than it did her, Dana reached down, and wrapped her fingers around his wrists. This had succeeded in placating her before, though she was not Osu. "You know there's always next time," she said as he resisted.

"You're doing it again," he accused with an infinitesimal break of his voice.

She didn't want to. "But I have to."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Is it because of what I said?" Osu gave a short laugh, finding their situation coming back round and round and somewhat laughable. "Is it because when it comes down to it, I'm still part of KNIFE?"

He was the one that put her dilemma into words. So Dana went along with it. "Isn't it?" she said, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Black and white again," he murmured. Then as his head craned back to meet her averting eyes, Osu reached across to touch her arms. She allowed it. "Dana-ssi, tell me the truth."

With the viscosity of molten lava, heat began to pour into her head, burning behind the skin of her face, and she turned her head as far back as possible. "Osu, you said it yourself that you can't do that for me," she retorted, an ache on her neck smarting.

Too close for comfort, he asked her, "What do _you_ want to do?"

Fucking Osu. Fuck Osu. A violent vehemence overshadowed her usual scowl, and she swallowed something that wasn't rage. Not when strength still powered through her pulse. Then it had to be frustration. No, not with Osu, but with herself, because it wasn't up to her if she should or could continue whatever this was, and even if it was, she wasn't going to risk everything she built up for herself because she wanted to be with some shitty villain?

"I want—I want to make this easier for the both of us and tell you what I really think," she found herself saying. "But I won't."

If she was expecting him to fight back, just for a little longer, Osu proved her wrong. Looking elsewhere, she didn't say anything as he retracted his touch and his footsteps sounded away from her. Her bedroom door closed, gentle and almost as though it'd never opened. A sinking feeling fraught her gut almost instantaneously. And the second time around, the worse time around, Dana knew this path she'd chosen for the both of them was wholly and totally her fault.

—

* * *

 **a/n:** dana isn't the greatest at relationships but yanno ;) she's getting there... someday lmao. i guess it depends on osu to wait? :O

ooh much thanks to **Eternal Nocturne** for beta-ing, and a new **Guest** :Ooo and **cuttoncandyhair** SASA CANONICALLY DOESN'T HAVE EYEBROWS !


	19. baby, it's your last time

**.**

 **19\. it's your last time to give me your best try**

 **.**

Dana sat very still, for as long as she could anyway, as her long locks fluttered to the bathroom tiles below. Against the wooden door frame, Guineung crouched with his arms wound around Hyena who wiggled and whined for her sister and her mother. The latter stepped away with a final snip of her scissors and with her other hand, brushed stray strands off Dana's blanketed shoulder. Squinting, she thoughtfully circled around Dana's chair.

Her fingers flicking back her bangs, Dana prompted, "So?"

Her mother sighed through her scowl. "Longer hair suited you."

Not the kinda response Dana wanted. A scowl upturning her lips as well, she unpinned the plastic blanket from her neck, laid it across the back of her chair, and strolled up to the bathroom mirror. Her hands gripped the sides of the sink as she coolly leaned into the mirror as though expecting her reflection to pipe up with a compliment.

It wasn't that bad. He'd probably think so with that stupid sunny smile on his stupid face.

No— _shut up—_ Dana had been accustomed to her waterfall of hair warming the slope of her back, but no, there was more than a change to the weightlessness below her neck. It could be a good change. It was supposed to be.

She tilted upward, then to the side, eying the ends of her hair that swiped along her exposed throat. The longer locks seemed to blend into the pitch-black threads of her jacket. Straightening her suit, Dana fixed her glower upon her reflection, "No, Mom," she said, and her mother scoffed. "I think this will suit me just fine."

 **.**

"And by tomorrow," said Chief as he skimmed through pages of signed paperwork, "you shall be officially known as Sectional Chief. Or Chief for short," he added and gave a hoarse chuckle.

That would be confusing, at least in Dana's head. "What does that make you?" she asked.

His folded hands pressed on top of the paperwork as he fixed her with a grave expression. "It does not change the fact that I am your superior, and I will continue to fulfill my duties as I have always been," he answered and tipped his thumbs toward her. "But as Sectional Chief, you will be taking on more management responsibilities and more imperative assignments in this division of SPOON. After all, you'll be taking a lot off my shoulders." A sigh wearier than those from Dune emitted from him.

"Chief…" Dana started uncomfortably. Prying wasn't really her thing. "Are you leaving SPOON?"

Incredibility sparked across his eyes. For a moment, Chief might have been debating telling her before he said, "I am not leaving, however, I have decided to spend some time away from here." A composed fist moved to his chin, and he coughed. "For my own good, Sectional Chief."

It wasn't rocket science why he needed time away. Doyoung-sunbaenim's death had its toll and then the POT bombing with Godt knew how many heroes Chief worked with before. She didn't blame him, not in the slightest.

"Understood," Dana said, leaving it at that.

But she wasn't going to be excused. Instead, Chief raised his hands together in a steeple that brushed the greyed hairs of his chin. Graver than before, he spoke, "Sectional Chief, I have reason to believe this promotion will also allow you to shut down a particular affiliation with KNIFE."

Her shoulders snapped with a jolt.

"Your attachment to this particular affiliation is now needed more than ever, now that KNIFE has decided to strike back. They have eliminated a majority of POT members, and we are well aware KNIFE was under their watch," explained Chief, though there was an undertone of something strange.

It sounded more like he was sick of dealing with these fools and was about to stake some part of their downfall with her. A frown wrapped around her lips as she spoke up, "So they're under my watch?"

Chief frowned as well but from disagreement. "The surviving members will be relying on SPOON for their continued investigation, therefore I will also be trusting you to head your own team." Chief leaned back in his armchair, his hands still folded but lowered into his lap. "Of course, as Sectional Chief, your position will grant you allowance to more classified information and other resources," he attempted to persuade her, however, there was no need when it came to KNIFE, Dana was always on board.

"Hmm," she said as though she was considering it.

Her contemplation was confusing to Chief or at least in his head. "That is very odd of you," he stated and she noted the deepened drop of his tone. "You've been fixated with KNIFE for several months now, yet you're not seizing the chance to take them down yourself?"

"Myself?" Dana crossed her arms, then shrugged. "I thought it was POT's investigation."

"It's a joint assignment, Sectional Chief. It will fall under both SPOON's and POT's, investigation, though I believe you to head the whole case as you usually do."

That did sound awfully like her. There would be less factors to stop hinder her investigation. POT didn't have the strength, if they were anything like Dune after the incident. Consideration was a strange look upon Dana, but Chief seemed to be relieved when she answered, "Sure, I can offer POT my assistance." There had to be a catch. Dana brought it up, "But if they want to catch KNIFE, they shouldn't expect me to play by their rules."

If that grudge of withholding information from her wasn't apparent, it was from a pulsing vein in her neck. Chief smiled, appearing civil as though he was POT's representative. "Play nicely, Sectional Chief, and you will reap what you sow."

"That is?"

"KNIFE's capture, of course."

She smiled, satisfaction strung across her bared mouth. Hearing that was music to her ears—discordant, blue music that sounded accusingly like ' _You're doing it again_.'— but regardless _this_ was long overdue.

 **.**

Back at her office, Guineung seated the coffee tray between them. Busying himself, he dropped sugar cube after sugar cube into a bunny-patterned cup as Dune and Dana stared each other down. Her eagle eyes flickered between the white lines around his head, a small bandage upon the corner his eye, another stuck below his bruised lip, and that eyesore of a cast wrung around his hunkered neck. How pitiful. He'd been ignoring her calls and texts after his discharge from the hospital. No shit that'd piss her off, even more so that he was even taking on his job for reasons unknown, although she last heard he was refusing his hero's assignments.

Shame since she wanted to return to the old days.

As Guineung dug his spoon into the coffee jar, Dana spoke up, "Doesn't it annoy you that they still run errands even though you're sick?" A scowl wasn't exactly what she wanted to greet Dune with, but he was getting it anyway. "They could've just called if they wanted to know what's going on."

"They said the line might be bugged…" he mumbled.

There was no way she would sugarcoat her opinions, not when it came to Dune. She scoffed. "But why would they use a former hero as a messenger boy? It's a complete disgrace…" If anything, she was trying to incite a sort of response from him, which he refused to give. Shrugging, she said, "I'll tell them to send you over here to work for me if you're okay with that."

Usually, Dana despised being ignored, but with Dune, this was an entirely different set of circumstances.

Again, she spoke up, "I got promoted so it wouldn't be hard for me to pull a few strings—"

"It's alright."

That kinda dismissive response narrowed her glare. "Dune, you can't just let them believe that just because you're going through something rough now means that you'll be going through something rough forever, so you gotta at least try—"

"Dana," he interjected again. Too slowly, Dune fixated his vacant stare to the side as though someone or something died there. "That's alright. This is what I wanted..."

Like nothing dramatic was going on, Guineung tipped the teapot into the bunny cup. The liquid stream of boiling water sounded something out of an hour-long relaxation CD, though Dana could easily blurt over it, "What?" She had no reason to believe that her ex-partner-in-crime-stopping would ever want to be demeaned as some lame go-between.

"I've got no intention of being a hero again," muttered Dune and nearly closed his eyes at the pathetic entity in the corner of the room.

"Why?"

"Because I don't wanna die."

For the first time, an awkward silence cleaved between them, and it finally occurred to Dana that this wasn't just about losing Claude, but losing himself as well. That had to be an unwritten clause when it came to being a hero. She just didn't expect that someday it would apply to Dune then and there, and since there was no way to pull him back into being himself again, Dana would have to pull him back her own way.

"Guineung," she called. He blinked up at her and immediately offered her his lovingly-made cup of coffee. "No, times like this don't call for coffee."

Knitting his brows together, Guineung blurted, "Then what?"

"Cancel whatever I have later today."

"You have a follow-up meeting with Chief."

"Cancel it." Whirling around, she turned to Dune too with such swiftness that he flinched in his seat. Pointing at him, she demanded, "You. Cancel everything."

Dune squirmed, unsure where she was going with this. "Why?"

Her arms crossed, she leaned over the table separating her and Dune until she was a couple inches from Dune's downward face. Pathetic was her first impression; however, if she was going to spending the rest of her day with him—or more accurately, just for him—, she might as well get him shit-faced wasted. "Dune," she called, and he was grounded, just a little more, "let's go out and drink."

 **.**

The last time they'd been at an establishment selling alcohol, Judas and Dana had been the victims to alcohol-related tomfoolery, but today—they were both expecting Dune wouldn't even remember his own name. For a little while, that could be an answer. But the main problem-solver to their genius plan was hopefully their presence as physical support could help him out mentally or some shit. Really, Dana didn't really have much else to this 'plan,' and honestly, she had no need.

Friends were all he needed, right? Or had, but she wasn't gonna bring that up.

As a good friend, Dana had to make certain that Dune really, really, _really_ wanted this. "You're really, really, _really_ okay with being a messenger boy?" she asked, tipping her bottle in his direction.

Dune took a slug of his glass, pinching his face considerably. "It's what I need right now."

"Under Yeongjeong-nim, right?"

He gave a slow nod.

Well, twenty minutes in, her plan was shit, but it wasn't like Judas was helping. If anything, he stewed in silent aggravation just because he was forced away from loads of work. No, the fuck, she didn't force him to. All she had to do was ring up his secretary, and the dumbass took her suggestion as a seductive demand.

At long last, he faced his friends and veered the subject totally off-topic. "So I've got some good news."

"Those fox ladies finally won the game or something?" guessed Dana out of the goodness of her hero's heart.

"Don't—Do not say a word. You're an embarrassment," Judas admitted, earning a handful of Dana's fist to the mouth, and they glanced back to see if Dune was gonna stop them. He wasn't. Judas shoved her off and said, "As I was saying, don't talk to me about them. There is a possibility I might've betted go big than go home, but at any rate, I found the missing piece to my rookies."

"Really?" said Dune. For a moment, Dana thought he really was interested in Judas' fancy, gimmicks business or some shit.

A sort of begrudged smile overtook Judas' scowl as he said, "Dana, it hurts me to say this, but I probably couldn't have found them without you." She shrugged, apathetic as always. Honestly, it hurt her to hear that, mainly because Dana had no reason why Judas of all people would be saying that.

"No, please, don't hurt yourself. I got it," he said dryly and tapped his thumb against his bottle. "Apparently, the crow kid said some older hero asked you about my company."

Crow kid? Older hero? Judas' dumbass company?

As expected, Dune pieced the puzzle faster than she could. At least that meant some part of his brain hadn't been lost to his depression, unlike the rest of his self. Almost to himself, Dune refilled his own glass and thought aloud, "Doyoung-sunbae." He addressed Dana, certainty raising his voice. "Wasn't it because of him that you hired that crow-hybrid hero?"

"Oh, the crow kid who joined Rosy's team?" she realized. Though it felt kinda off to call him a kid when he was only a few years younger than her—her, Dune, and Judas, so this mistake was easy to pin as Judas'.

"Yes, him. Though I don't know him very well, I wouldn't have pictured him to be interested in entertainment," said Dune.

"He's two-timing SPOON?" remarked Dana. That wasn't against the rulebooks or anything, but it felt like betrayal nonetheless. Especially if his second job was associated with Judas. "Why would Sasa—"

Sensing the disruption of who-was-doing-what, Judas said, "Sasa? No, the kid's name is Sara."

The final piece clicked in, a light bulb flicked off, and the fog of confusion dissipated as Dune tipped his glass against his chin. "Brothers," he clarified with a small smile, downing the rest of his drink, as Dana and Judas shared a quick look of relief. If presenting an identity riddle was all it took to get his mind off, they would've quit this shit a long time ago.

Dana needed a drink.

As she peered into her near empty bottle, Judas reached into his jacket and pulled out a portfolio, like some kind of corporate magician. "Look, he might not know how to play an instrument— _orsing_ —but look at him!" The opened file slid down the counter like a hockey puck to rest between Dune and Dana. A beaming birb boy in black grinned up at them.

"Looks like Sasa," commented Dana.

"Mhm," agreed Dune. "Without the bowl cut."

A grimace wound around Judas' mouth. "Well I thank my good luck Sara doesn't. But he probably wouldn't look so bad if he did. Most likely." The way Judas said that had its usual, piss-off effect upon Dana, and yet an urge to defend her crow kid pulsed on her tongue. "Yeah, I think Sara is gonna do some good. The rookies require a visual, a fresh face to their music so—"

"Sasa's gonna be the face of SPOON."

"What?" Judas and Dune breathed.

"I said," Dana spoke against the lip of her bottle, casually and struggling not to guffaw at it all, "I'm gonna make Sasa the face of SPOON."

Dune heaved a sigh.

With a temper as bad as Dana's, Judas straightened onto his feet. He exploded at once, "You can't do that! Everyone's gonna think you're copying me!"

"Sasa's older so they'll think you're copying _me_."

His elbows on the counter, Judas' jaw dropped before he closed it to sharpen his expression into a scowl. "What the hell?" he snapped. "I'll have you know—"

"I don't wanna know shit."

As they continue to fire mostly expletives at each other over Dune's hunkered head, he drank slowly until he finally groaned into his glass. A fine line was finally drawn when he slammed his palms down and then clenched them together to whack his fists onto their heads. Though that did shut off the argumentative impulse in their brain, Dune had to stuff his red, aching hands into his armpits as he shouted, " _Would you two knock it off?_ Why'd you always have to do this when we're out in public?!"

A moment passed before Dana and Judas grasped opposite sleeves and wailed at him, "It's Dune!"

All the tension left Dune's body as his friends each claimed his arm as their own. Eyes closed, his head dipped and he sighed. "It's always been me." Looking down at them, he said, "I hope there was more to this meeting than raising my blood pressure."

"Yeah, there is," piped up Judas and shoved Dune away from him, causing him to fumble backwards onto Dana's chest. Instantly, she shoved Dune off her and Judas held Dune back with a stern hand to his shoulder. "So isn't it better to feel all pissed off and shit than feeling really shitty?" he asked, nudging Dune back into his seat.

It wouldn't come across as too much as a surprise to Dana if Judas thought his life sucked ass, however, Dune was the one who visibly gloomed. "It can't be help," he said.

"No, but of course it can't," said Judas with his bottle tilted then straightened as though it shrugged for him. "Though I have to agree with Dana here—maybe after you go through being a messenger boy for a while, you should work as a hero again? Hell, you're better at it than she is, and you know that."

If that was his poor attempt in persuading Dune, he'd receive a grade worse than failure for dim of anxiety sinking into Dune's averted gaze. "I don't know," he mumbled and distracted himself with a prolonged drink.

Of course, trust on good ol' Judas to fuck it up. Dana would rather they wouldn't return to this sinkhole of a conversation, but if there was another chance to propose to Dune, then it'd be right now. Her fingers peeled at her bottle's label as Dana attempted onto the edge of quicksand, proposing to Dune, "Or maybe you can help me catch the Oz?"

"This shit still?" groaned Judas.

Rarely, as of late, Dune's interest was piqued. "Adamant, as always." He smiled, but it was still one of those fake imitations, wrinkled with forced effort.

"I can catch them this time!" she insisted with such vehemence, the bottle shattered into shards from her white-tight hold. Dune and Judas stared as the acerbic scent of alcohol reeked from her hand. "Dune, the Oz case isn't shoved off to the side so I can close it as some back alley case. Chief said their association with KNIFE will bring the whole group down, and I know you want that. You can have it if you just…" she trailed off because she poured her conviction into getting him on board, and he appeared to be as listless as five minutes ago.

Slow, still too fucking slow, Dune reached over to lay his hand over her damp sleeve. As Judas ordered for another round, Dune spoke lowly to her, "Dana, your efforts are applaudable, however, I am certain that going out back there right now isn't… neither what I need nor what I want." His hand rose off her, yet she seized his wrist instead.

No, not listless.

The most serious she could be, Dana vowed, "I won't let you die."

A harsh laugh ripped from Dune, and he clamped a hand over his sobs. It slid down his face, rubbed his tense jaw, as he said, "I promised the same to Claude and look where he is now." Despair dripped from his mumbled words and his entire body sagged forward like a statue close to collasping.

 _Shit_.

 **.**

Dana blamed this on Judas, and he somehow accepted to be the one to calm Dune down. There was a less than likely chance he could do that much, however, Dana would risk those shitty chances with him than her.

Outside the bar, she crouched against the brick wall as most people passed her by as though she wasn't there. That was ideal since she wasn't into a small talk (or any talk whatsoever) mood. After fucking it up with Dune, she'd rather be alone with her thoughts. So Dune wasn't going to be on board, not anytime soon. Osu was going to have wait longer then, and she thinned his patience as it was. Whatever. She'd make him wait for as long as it would take because he didn't care and neither will she.

Wait—a man in blue stopped in his tracks.

But there was no fucking way that he could be Osu. Instead, it had to be this asshole who had the gall to recognize her in absolute disgust, "Is that Dana?" Her eyes rolled as far as they could go as he added on, " _That_ Dana who swept in and stole my right as Sectional Chief?"

Though if it was him, might as well rub it in well enough that all he would ever feel was the salt of humiliation for weeks. "Yes, July," she drawled and stood to her full height. As though each other was a villain, they stared each other down maliciously. "It is I, that Dana who easily swept in and easily stole that right. By the way, it's Chief Dana."

July scowled with crossed arms and glanced at his watch. "Should a Sectional Chief even be drinking at two in the afternoon?"

"I should when I have to deal with a pain in the ass."

"Perhaps if you were not lounging upon your posterior all—"

"I was talking about you, July."

Godt, she wanted to burst with laughter when he reddened with agitation. "I am a good foot or three away yet you potently reek of hard liquor." July pinched his nose and clicked his tongue in disgust. "How unrefined," he said under his breath, yet loud enough for Dana to hear.

"Get lost."

"I wouldn't even be caught dead in a rubbish dump like this."

"Get fucked."

With crossed arms, July dared to forward her and upturned his nose as though declining her retorts as an offer. "I'll have no doubt you're out with that loud-mouthed twin of yours and—what's his name—oh, it's better if I forgot in any case, you know he transferred to POT and murdered—"

She scoffed, "Murder?"

He cackled, a poised hand above his open mouth. "You have no idea? Of course you would not. It's you after all." He basked in the fact that she didn't know, even though she did, more or less anyway. "I'm afraid I don't have the nitty-gritty details, regardless it was your dear friend had so foolishly killed another hero."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. Nonetheless, murder is still murder, no matter what you think, Dana-agassi," he smiled and sneered in a way Dana wished he was a villain. Though it was totally unfair that July was a hero, no matter how villainous he acted.

Certainty steeling her voice, she repeated, "I don't believe you."

As though this conversation was suddenly beneath him, he shrugged and turned on his heel. "Have it your way. It does not change the fact everyone else is aware of his cold-blooded—" Before July could even blink properly, he was forced against the bar's brick wall, yet no fear rattled his stature. Rather he could meet with Dana's burning glower, fitting for a moment before murder.

He yanked his arm out of white fingers. "He's a murderer, Dana. No wonder he doesn't want to return as a hero."

For someone who can spew so much dogshit before, it wasn't fair he was making some sort of sense now. Dana wasn't having it, whatsoever. "This is Dune," she declared, her hand digging into the brick by July's temple. Red clay crumbled to the pavement between them. "He's logical and methodical and meticulous—he wanted to be a hero, and he wouldn't let someone die without a good, fucking reason."

"What does it matter?" July shouldered her out to the way, or he tried to, and was bumped back against the wall. Pissed now, he snapped, "In the end, he let someone die, didn't he?"

Pissed just the same, Dana retorted, "You're judging him without even knowing why."

"Of course I will. That's _murder_ , Dana!"

"He didn't murder anyone, you dumbass! You don't even know Dune—"

"Why would I need to know him? I'm well aware of what murder—"

"You're so fucking obstinate that everything is black and white so that's all—" This time, her sentence cut off, not because of July's interjection, but from how hypocritical she sounded. A hand to her forehead, she exhaled through gritted teeth and said, "So I trust him that's not all there is to it."

He scoffed, "And?"

There was no reply—no need for it anyway—when Dana shoved off the wall and ducked back into the bar. Still occupying the counter seats, Judas and Dune appeared to fall into silence, which was totally fine. They were nursing a half-empty glass each, and Dana snatched Judas' before gulping the rest of it. Before he could yell at her, she sidled between them and said to Dune, "You know what?"

He didn't look at her. Apparently, his finger following the rim of his glass was much more fascinating. "What is it, Dana?" he said.

"You do you, Dune," she said.

His finger off, he turned his whole body toward her. "No, Dana," he sighed. "I know how much the Oz case means to you, and I'm your friend, therefore—"

Her hand rose then smacked between his eyes. "Therefore whatever."

"What's… What's going on?" he mumbled, eying her weirdly.

"Alcoholic's altruism?" guessed Judas. He, on the other hand, earned a wrist whip to the throat and he choked for a moment.

Not minding him at all, Dana enlightened Dune, kinda. "You said you wanted your time away from being a hero. I thought there's more to it, and I know there is, but—you don't have to tell Judas and me right away."

"Thank you, Dana."

"I trust you, Dune."

"As do I to you," he laughed a little.

"And don't you ever think you owe an explanation to anyone else. 'Cause they're a bunch of nosy assholes who need to mind their business. They don't deserve shit from you. Right, Dune?" she said, whispered almost, like it was a secret between the two of them.

She couldn't believe it when Dune gave her a rueful grimace. "Right," he muttered. She was right then. "I have no obligations toward them."

So more fuckers like July existed? Her arm slung around Dune's shoulder, Dana in return gave a bared-teeth grin, blinding enough for the both of them. "Fuck 'em!" she shouted in the bar, deafening enough to send their neighbors scooching their stools away, and she brought Dune close enough to clunk their foreheads together.

"She's got a point," said Judas, slinging his arm around Dune's other side. "Fuck 'em!" he roared, loud as fuck, perfectly on par.

When it came to them, a surrender feels easier, either like easing into warm days of his past and present. Maybe he missed them as well. Sure, he wasn't as boisterous as them—he never was in the first place—but he was just as vehement when he repeated all the same, "Fuck 'em."

 **.**

"It's lovely, isn't it?" sighed Luda and leaned against Dana's shoulder.

Christmas Eve was supposed to be one of the romantic nights of the year. There was no doubt with all the colored lights strung about the streets, the collective chatter of tomorrow's excitement and exuberance, and the winter chill nudging couples together. Yet there was a shadow of gloom remaining in Dana's gaze, like an eyelash in her eye that she couldn't remove, but it bothered her to the point of being unable to see straight.

Squinting hard, Dana replied, "Yeah, it is."

"Are you okay?" At once, guilt raced in Dana's veins as she turned to Luda with such urgency. "You look like you're not here, Dana."

"No, unnie, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she stressed with a hand to her forehead, which housed a faint ache. It didn't feel as annoying when her mind drifted, wondered if Osu was well enough to go out with Guineung on a crowded night like Christmas Eve. "I should be fine," she mumbled and thought she should at least text him to crush her concern.

"Dana?"

If he was going to infest her thoughts like this, might as well get him outta the way so she could spend the rest of her night peacefully, knowing that Guineung was doing well and thus give Luda a proper—

A hard yank to her sleeve pulled her back to her. "Dana, are you really okay?" insisted Luda.

Rarely fumbling for words, she stammered, "N-no, I meant, I mean I'm fine. Seriously." For a moment, they paused in the middle of the sidewalk. Fine wasn't really what passersby would describe Dana, so she faked it. "Are you all ready to go home?" Dana asked.

It was her first stab at taking interest, and Luda took the bait. "Yeah, I am. I couldn't make it back home for like a year now so I'm glad I can make it for the holidays."

Huh. No wonder then. It would've sucked if Dana couldn't see her family for a year—and impossible before her mom visited her for the first and last time. But Luda. She must have suffered considerably away from home, moving to a confusing city and working rigorously as a commercialized hero. Difficulties that Dana took for granted when she merely moved fifteen minutes away and was offered her exalted position while she was still in high school.

As some sort of last-minute comfort, she pulled Luda closer into her side and Luda's lips moved to the pink flush of her cheeks.

Seriously, though? Dana couldn't imagine going through that just to change herself. She liked where she was now, in the same bustling city as always where she knew she was meant to be a professional hero. Or now, a professional Sectional Chief of heroes. This was her rightful place.

But no—not really.

Right now, as of that very moment, an unsettling energy rippled her body, darkening her line of vision, pounding into her head, burning into her as though a fever, overall just giving her excuses to not be in the moment. Along the same lines—or not, nothing matters when it came to her mind—, she wondered what excuse she could give when she finally messaged Osu if their night was going any well because Guineung's state of happiness was totally her business, and therefore—

"—Dana! Hello, Dana!"

Her head snapped to meet Luda. "What's wrong?" she said.

Weirdly enough, she wore a deep pout as apparent as the anger settling onto her skin. Dana squinted, lowering the phone in her hand. No, not anger, but it was something like disappointment that deepened into that pout.

"Oh, shit," breathed Dana. Her phone clattered by her frozen foot. "What the hell am I doing?" she asked as though either of them knew the answer.

As though she harbored a contagion, Luda slowly slipped from Dana's side and walked backward as though fixed in a dream-like trance. They didn't know who it was supposed to hurt more. "That's what I want to know," Luda said, heaving her fists into her pockets.

"Unnie, I-I don't know what's..."

"You're not fine," she accused.

Dana rubbed into the frown lines of her forehead. "I'm sorry."

"Dana," started Luda and her heels clacked in anticipation, "tell me the truth."

"What?"

"Do you want to be with me?" As soon as six, simple words left Luda's lips, it coated her tongue with ill intention, gluing her mouth shut.

What was that supposed to mean? Whatever it was—Dana didn't want to hear herself answer that so she tested a step backward. Wrong, in the face of Luda's drowning disappointment, but right in the heat of her body burning for another. She was all too aware that her breaths released forcefully like as though from cracks in a dam, and she took another step back.

Luda stood very still and for a moment, Dana wanted to go forward. "Dana, I will tell you this right now," she said solemnly. A shudder ripped through Dana's spine. "Once you go, it's all over between us."

Dana knew—she'd been knowing—that there was an inevitability to the swiftness of her steps before she reached out and engulfed Luda into a tight embrace. To the point of tears, Luda trembled, thumped her forehead against Dana's shoulder. As though forbidden, her hands lifted only to hover a breath above Dana.

Luda breathed, "Dana…"

Muffled into lavender locks, Dana mumbled, "Luda-unnie, I'm sorry. Really sorry."

Since no other words could smooth that over, Dana pulled apart from her and began to run like her life depended on it. Though her occupation required that much, putting herself on the line, there was an urgency much more desperate than her life. She'd survive this with her life well intact—however, the constant bombardment of her thoughts, the sun coursing heat through her veins that she burn from the inside if she didn't shed her jacket, loosen her tie, and she swore she would return victorious with her peace of mind.

It was still open this late at night—like he said it would—so the throng of people was going to be a pain in the ass. Or to anyone else. Dana could make her way through just fine, zipping back the jungle enclosure in a minute or two, and the safari zone was a bit more cramped, but it was still no problem at all. She hurried through the entire zoo in twenty minutes. She tried again in fifteen, and the third time around, her eye caught a flash of blue. It might've been the spotted salamanders who slithered upon a salamander-hybrid who wasn't blue at all. Or maybe it was Osu who still stood beside him, dressed his core color.

She called out his name.

Maybe he heard her. More likely he didn't so leave it up the stars aligning when he turned and mouthed through the glass, "Dana-ssi?" Beside him, Guineung didn't even notice as he held a tiny salamander in the cup of his hands, and Dana was relieved he was enjoying himself.

On their own, her hands pressed against the glass. She was content that Guineung seemed to enjoy himself with… Leo? He appeared to be fine with kids as he said something to Guineung who snickered as the salamanders crawled up his arm. This was good. This was somewhat better when gentle fingers tugged at her sleeve, and Dana met eyes with Osu, unbarred with glass. Much more intense, however.

She didn't know if she wanted the glass back.

One of her hand slid off as she faced him. "It's—Hey, you," she said.

"What're you doing here?" asked Osu as cool as he could be.

Her peace of mind blinked like a distant star. What a normal Dana would say is anything just to get him to talk to her. Cool, effortless, and the commandeer to the conversation. What her dumb ass really said was, "The fuck're you doing to me?" she demanded, hot all over, struggling to arrange stupid words into stupid sentences, and a follower to the vibrations of buzzing, incoherent thoughts.

He tilted his head. "Doing what exactly?"

It clicked for Dana just then. Maybe she couldn't think straight before, but as her hand fisted over her perspired shirt—lingering above the impossibly loud drum in chest—, Dana realized, "It's the Oz. It's you."

A passerby bumped into Osu, forcing him to close the distance between him and Dana. The thoughts accumulated to a one-word mantra, which was stupidly enough— _warm_. "Excuse me, Dana-ssi," he said with all formality and could've rose off her if she hadn't seized his bare wrist. "I am the Oz, yes."

" _No_ ," she stressed through her teeth, and her arm forced him toward her. No outsiders required. Osu simply blinked up at her. "You've got me fucked up." Which was accusatory but also very close to hitting home.

"How come?" he asked.

Somehow, his fingers began to press against her wrist, and she swallowed. If it was hot before, then right now, she was roasting in the flames of hell. There had to be a way to stop this shit, so she figured she had to tell him, "I can't think straight. Not that or hear myself think 'cause my heart's obnoxiously loud, and that makes me too—too fuckin'— _hot_. I've never been this hot. You're killing me," she accused and raked a sweaty palm through her short hair. "Your stupid drug is killing me."

For the longest of moments, Osu stared at her without blinking. As though she could possibly be taken seriously because Dana knew everything she said was utter dogshit, but it was the truth.

If trusting him with that much was her death, then so be it.

Dana practically felt like dying—for all the wrong reasons—when his free sleeve lifted to cover an amused laugh. Osu beamed, rubbed his sleeve over the corner of his eyes. "You shouldn't have told me that," he said, all sunshine and smiles.

 _Great_.

He leaned into her, thumped his head against her shoulder. Dana did not refuse him, rather her hand plopped into that blue bedhead of his. Wrong and right. But not black and white, or even grey, because blue was growing fonder for her. "Dana-ssi," he murmured, unmoving yet moved to say, "Do you want me to kill you?"

Even though her pulse picked up its pace, she said, "Will you?"

She felt the shake of his head.

"But you can do it?"

"Dana-ssi," he sighed. "I can't kill you."

How considerate of him. Even if he had a grip on her now, he was sparing her. Villains had hearts, didn't he say? "Why not?" she asked.

"I'm so very _tired_."

Her forehead furrowed. "Of what?"

When he pried away from her, he nudged her hand off his head. Like her bones composed of patched-up glass, he held her hand gingerly in both of his. "Of your deepest, darkest doubts against me. I won't stand for it any longer. I'd rather you despise me or accept me." Weird how Dana wanted to think along the same lines. Or maybe just the first part.

"That's fair," she said.

"I suppose—if you would come to terms with who I am, then that will be the last of that. No more floundering around. Cut me off if you will to be wishy-washy again. Perhaps literally." A quivering hand dabbed at his eyes and he laughed, "Truth be told, I'm sick of the noncommitted decision."

So that was relief soothing over the mess of her mind. "Me too."

"I'd like if you could trust me, even for a moment."

"Maybe I'd like that too."

As though the end was nearing, he confessed, "I'd like it more if we can work on that. Together."

"It's a work in progress. A shitty one, but." She paused and tilted her head ruefully.

Osu smiled at her through a haze of tears.

"I guess that's it," said Dana and spoke to her hand. He wasn't letting go and she was no sooner the fool to not mind at all. "This is the ultimatum I could never bring up." Shame flushed across her cheeks. Though that was nothing compared to her twitching hand still trapped in his precarious hold. "That's not fair, you know, 'cause I can't really think properly with you."

He giggled, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," she said. Finally, her fingers threaded with his, and she leaned down to rest her forehead against his. The tears might have temporarily stopped, but his smile could light on for ages. "But I guess I'll be learning how to forgive you."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** thenk always for betaing, **Eternal Nocturne** , and reading/reviewing, **cuttoncandyhair** & **SmolAsianBean**... yall the best. and yes this should be the beginning... of osudana stuff.


	20. even obscurities, even difficulties

**.**

 **20\. even obscurities, even difficulties,  
because of you, I'm comforted from all of that, baby**

 **.**

The morning hadn't even started yet and it was going down as what Dana would term eloquently as downright _shitty_.

A shout, or something that sounded unbearably sunny, reverberated around in her head, and even worse, it contrasted with the dead silence that usually accompanied her sleep. At first, she was going to ignore it, but then the shouting got louder, easier to distinguish as words to her sleep-muffled hearing. The shouter had to be Guineung as no other would dare to raise their voice in her presence. And as his foster mom, she was five seconds away from finding the duct tape for permanent purposes until there was a softer, lesser-than-a-shout articulation.

He whispered, "It's Christmas."

 _And?_

Despite that being her initial thought, Dana pried her eyes apart for a millimeter. Osu was smiling within her line of sight. Beside him, Guineung was bouncing on his toes. This wasn't a recent sight, though Dana was familiar with it. The issue was why they would think she cared that it was Christmas or _hell_ —it could be the birth of a second son and she wouldn't have budged from her comfortably bundled bed.

Laughing lightly, Osu knew by now not to aggravate her with loud noises, so he instead thought it was a good idea to brush her bangs off her forehead. Dana snorted. "We'll leave you to sleep in, Dana-ssi. Guineung only wanted to let you know," he said in his Dana-safe tone. Again, he received another snort. "I'll start on breakfast for when you wake up, okay?" Instead of a half-hearted noise of disgruntlement, Osu stilled as Dana reached out to pat his hair, like a dog she'd never grow tired of.

As inaudibly as they could, Osu and Guineung left her alone. Good riddance. Though after a few minutes, Dana felt too warm and too comfortable, so those were reasons enough to throw off the covers and actually wake up. She didn't bother changing out of her standard shirt and sweatpants, but she had the common decency to wash up before heading over to wherever they were.

Immediately, Guineung took notice and called, "Chief's up!" Osu popped his head from the kitchen. Surprise tilted his head, but then that was all delight brightening his already chirpy, cheery expression.

With a saucepan steaming in hand, he hurried over to her. She wasn't one for a cooking demonstration, and she squinted her right eye at Osu. "Dana-ssi, you don't have to wake up for our sake. It's completely alright," he told her, his free hand nudging her to return to her first love, her warm, comfy, lonely bed.

Her heel grinding into her sleep-infested eye, Dana grumbled, "I felt like waking up, alright?"

Osu beamed in the face of that. "Alright."

Shit, he could blind her with that stupid smile. Her hand moved so that her entire arm rested upon her eyes. Why was it still so hot after she got out of bed too? He didn't jack up the gas, did he? Instead of asking questions she didn't care for, she told him, "Let's get this shit over with."

Guineung especially was in favor for getting the day started. If there wasn't enough light to go around, Osu and Guineung were animatedly speaking to each other with mirrored, bright-eyed smiles. It was a fifty-fifty rate that Dana would actually succeed at shoveling food into her mouth. Her super squinty stare didn't help at all. That and waking up were taking their toll on her. She'd almost shove her plates aside so she could nap on the table; however, her manners yelled at her to wash the dishes since Osu generously cooked today. Something said he'd continued to do so, and Dana couldn't imagine the mountains of dirty dishes awaiting her in the future.

As Guineung helped her rinse, Osu popped next to them and said, "Please get dressed. I'll call the chauffeur to come around."

As soon as he left them, Dana swiveled to where he used to be and grappled with sudsy gloves. "To where, the what?" she shouted after him. Guineung rolled his eyes.

"The _chauffeur_ ," he repeated after Osu like he was trying to be a smartass. Dana gave him a single glance as to say _try that again_. "You should ask Osu-hyung about it," he said and shook off stubborn droplets from the chopsticks. He stuck it into the drying rack, the thinner sides touching the bottom. Rolling her eyes, Dana stuck it the opposite way as Guineung hopped off the stepstool and added on, "Hyung said we're going to a surprise!"

Gloves off, she rubbed her fingers into her eyes. Dana wasn't one for surprises.

So it was something like ants on steroids crawling in the pit of her stomach when she followed after Guineung with his earmuffs sliding down his ears. Just as she fixed it, she heard Osu call, "Guineung, Dana-ssi!"

He was already holding the car door open. Guineung hopped right in. Dana paused by the door to give Osu a look. He smiled at her as he always did. Maybe the thrill of what was to come consumed him, but Dana always had her guard up. "Where are we going?" she whisper-yelled, her hand up in case Guineung could read lips.

Serene as always, Osu whispered back, "Trust me."

Now? They were starting that now? Instantly, Dana's lips pressed together in an effort not to scowl. Did he have to pull that off at ten in the morning? Yeah, less than twelve hours ago, they went over their whole 'trust' issues, but didn't there need to be a twenty-four warning window at least? Like entering mysterious, tinted vehicles with the most mystifying enigma personification she'd known? Internally, her hands threw up in frustration, her surrender. With a quick duck of her physical head, Dana entered and sat in the middle seat with her hands in her pockets. Osu didn't mention if the ride would be long but it was long enough for her to zone out. She shouldn't have when Guineung grilled Osu about the destination. Though in the end, she did return to sleep's cozy lands and it was as soft and soothing and scented as sleep had always—

"Dana-ssi."

She stirred but her eyes didn't open. Not for the second torture today.

"Dana-ssi, we're here."

Hold up. Her fingers wandered below. Like she brushed against lighting, Dana shot up and returned her hands to her lap where Guineung had fallen asleep as well.

"Sorry," she grumbled and quickly smoothed the small, head-sized groove upon his shoulder.

Osu only smiled at her, his kindness notched up significantly so. His soft, pale hand rose toward her and Dana breathed in sharply before realizing he was ruffling Guineung's hair. He woke up as well though his alertness kicked him out to the car's curb and had him wildly skipping across a building's entrance.

No. Oh no. This was no building.

"Welcome, valued guests!" a group of uniformed workers greeted the three of them and bowed underneath a brightly pastel-colored arch.

Not so much a social panda, Guineung hid behind Dana and pulled the ends of her coat over his eyes. Like that, there was no way he could read the bright, bubble letters arcing above the entrance. Dana could and grumbled to her right, "Don't tell me you rented this shitshow?"

Osu laughed. "I won't tell you."

Just as much as surprises, Dana wasn't one for amusement parks. There wasn't much of a rush falling fifteen hundred feet or however many, not when she could bash in fifteen hundred noses in fifteen minutes. It was too bad there wasn't a business where she could be paid to fight. Oh wait, no, there was and she was working it. It was terribly bad, the absolute worst, that she was forced not to demolish ass on the holidays.

"Hey, kid," called Dana and pinched Guineung by the scruff of his neck. He squealed and hugged her front instead. "Just go out already."

He refused to peel off of her. "You go with me!" he demanded.

"Fine."

"What?" he and Osu gasped.

Her hands in her coats pocket, she spread her coat apart in a sort of lazier than lazy shrug. "It's Christmas. I don't have to do anything," she yawned and perhaps—she knew saying that was a mistake when she was dragged onto the premises with not a second for her to reconsider backing out. Not that she was going to but. Getting roped into this by these two wasn't bound to end well for her.

 **.**

Or maybe it did.

They never forced her to ride anything like she thought. Though she'd spoil the fun if she just stood there like the judgmental pessimist she could be. Instead, Dana searched around the twinkling shops for the panda merch Guineung yearned for with starry, panda eyes. Of course after scouring for a half hour, he was practically a child-sized ad for his own species. Dana herself allowed them to buy and dress her in silly panda headbands, panda gloves, panda neck pillow, and holy shit—she found use for that panda sleep mask.

Osu's favorite was a baby seal-patterned polaroid camera.

He'd insisted on pictures, especially of Guineung together with the little animal critter mascots he adored, and instead of opting out, Dana just donned her sleep mask and neutral mask on. Guineung somehow found it gut-busting hilarious that Dana appeared to be bored to death in pictures. In reality, she was enjoying herself when they were enjoying themselves. Their good vibes were her good vibes. Not that she'd admit it. It escalated to a point where she allowed them to pull her onto whatever ride, and her head would jerk around on her neck like she was some cursed bobblehead, but she wouldn't say she minded.

They jumped from one event to the next, and Dana always trailed after them.

Soon enough, she was the designated polaroid collector. Still-developed pictures warmed her palms, overstuffed memories within her coat pockets then her pants, and colored with the tiniest flare of her sentiments. Osu mistook her thoughtful silence as a silent call for sleep, so he and Guineung guided her into one of the gondola lifts. Dana would've argued but a worker handed her a panda-patterned pillow and blanket set.

Surrounded by quiet, she passed out in a heartbeat.

When she woke up, the quiet blanketed her much wider than her actual blanket did. Actually, as she rubbed her fist into her eye, fresh snow was beginning to blanket the amusement park. How long had she been out? As Dana yanked her panda blanket off her torso, the black and white flopped onto the floor and swept the floor with square polaroids. Cold, developed photographs. Onto her elbows, Dana stretched her arm for one and held it up to her squinted stare.

Oh, the one at the sweets cafe. Guineung had ordered the fattest, fluffiest pancakes but he called them 'pandakes' so that struck Osu with an inspired request. There was a childish magic illuminating Guineung when he was presented with an adorably decorative panda-pancakes. _Pandakes_ , Osu had called them. Behind a hand, Dana snorted and reached inside her pocket for a few more. Those were at the petting zoo. Guineung almost died out of literal cuteness, yes, he loved the bunnies, the goats, the alpacas, anyone, everyone. Osu'd whisper that Guineung was the cutest one there. She agreed, they shared a knowing look, and maybe they were starting to do a lot of that.

Dana unfolded more and more like lost cards in a strewn deck.

Most of them were of rides that Dana hardly recalled. The twirling tulip teacups (Osu picked this to hold their own private teatime), the swings and vines (Guineung rode this about twenty times) the iconic horses-unicorns-pegasus carousel (Dana occupied a carriage alone and conked out for two, amazing minutes). Then there was the winter garden walk which entailed exactly that. Walking wasn't so bad, no; there was unexpectedly a collection of picturesque colors gathered during the winter.

Oh. A selected scatter of polaroids spread upon her lap. It dawned upon her then.

At first, a shivery sense spiked up her spine because she was never one for surprises or picture-taking. Especially when she didn't know about it. Then again, Dana wasn't quite sure what to make about these.

There was something artsy-fartsy about these shots… Like the photographer wanted to capture a certain aesthetic with her as their unintended subject. What aesthetic that was, the hell like she'd knew. There was nothing special about her standing before the mini suns of marigolds, her fingers locked behind her back. No, nothing about the back of her ink-black hair contrasting with a background of printer-paper-white candytufts. Shit, especially not when he managed to snap a polaroid of her fingering a star-shaped hellebore necessarily closer to her gentle expression.

No, there was something entirely personal to these even though they were supposed to be—they were all about her. Contorted with confusion, Dana shoved them into her pocket before striding over to the gondola door. Rather than give into tearing the door open, she stood with her arms across her statue-still chest until she could leave like a normal person.

Once a worker unlocked the door, she rushed from the landing and lunged twenty feet onto the ground floor. Snow flew up in flurries from her landing, pastel pavement crumbled from under her heels, grinded into dust as she made a mad run for it. Him. Whatever it was because at the moment—only one thought prevailed.

 _Whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthe—_

"What the hell?"

For some reason, an unwelcome group of hoodlums had cornered Osu and their Guineung. Though Guineung stood his ground before Osu, his clenched fists shook even though Osu kept his hands steady upon his shoulders. They didn't seem to notice her when Osu was speaking coolly to the intruders' well-groomed leader. Strange how in his right fist was a metal bat. Head cocked, Dana noted the four other men wielded some sort of melee-type weapons.

Had Osu accidentally reserved a date and location for a gangster battle?

Dana stopped still, hands in her pockets, and called, "What's the problem here?"

Their leader turned toward her with an attractively scarred face. Whatever. "Oh, nothing at all," he said to her in a tone that reminded her of that asshole July. "We were just looking for a certain rich kid who rented out this entire place for themselves and then. Hmm." He paused and swung his bat experimentally. "Perhaps beat some sense into him," he decided, and the men at his sides erupted in hearty chortles.

Out of the corner of her eye, Guineung growled behind clenched teeth. On the other hand, Osu tensed but his expression remained nonchalant, unbothered almost. Hats off to him for keeping it up this long.

"You found him," pointed out Dana.

The man sent her a winsome grin. "My sources were correct. I had no doubt. I suppose you'll be on your way then?" His bat raised, pointed away from the dispute at hand.

"Yeah, sure," Dana said and she also noted the way Osu never failed to look away from her. The man beamed at her inexplicable understanding. Already, his hand swiped to grip the front of Osu's robes but blue boy's gaze remained on her. "Let me look at that real quick," she intervened with a single step between them.

Without letting him answer, Dana snatched the bat right from his fingers. The club-turned-to-be-murder-weapon fit perfectly between her hands, horizontally, between her palms on either sides. Then all she did was flex and the steel screeched piercingly within dead silence. Dana lifted the man's bat hand and handed him back his bat, which resembled more of a crumpled, paper ball. As though a chore, Dana strode over to the other men, shredding a machete's blade into strips, flattening a crowbar like play-doh, and played the extra mile of unhinging nails from a wooden bat to throw into her mouth like she was chewing hard candy.

She spat out nail fragments onto the leader's shoe. Another note—he almost screamed when spitted shards pierced through expensive leather.

All at once, the hoodlums fell toward the snow-dusted ground, their foreheads plastered with white. Music to her ears, they cried, "Please let us explain ourselves."

Just before Dana warned them for an universe of pain, Osu slipped his hand onto her shoulder. Relief washed over her when he and Guineung were unharmed. "We should hear them out," he said, and Dana only said okay because Guineung was on Osu's side.

His friends vouched for their leader's story, annoyingly for the most part. Nonetheless, Dana and Osu were able to piece it together; the man—Joo, apparently—had prepared all year to propose extravagantly to his boyfriend before he was to leave for England in January. Their five-year anniversary was coincidentally on Christmas and the amusement park was their first date. Joo had everything reserved except he was infinitely disappointed to hear the park was closed on Christmas Day because of some elitist gazillionaire, so Joo was to hospitalize aforementioned gazillionaire in order to re-open the park.

Said gazillionaire spoke up, "A Land is always closed on the winter holidays." A hand lifted from Dana's shoulder, Osu clarified, "Did you mean B Land? Their Christmas Day operations are continuing as of now."

The color drained from Joo's face when he laughed uncomfortably. Dana ground her fist into his bowed head. Guineung and Joo's groupie began to bellow belly-laughs. Osu's little giggle stuck out the most as he brushed snow from his blue bangs. Dana flickered her gaze onto him. He talked comfortably now with a starry-eyed Joo. Suddenly he reached over to lower his collar. A tiny bit of bruising, but that was only because Osu was so fair-skinned, a mere fly could've turned him blue and purple.

"You could've kicked their ass," she grumbled, releasing his collar.

He gave her a small smile that Dana thought had to be _entirely personal_. "And let you miss out on the action?" he laughed.

She frowned. "That was dangerous, Osu."

"You don't seem to find any issue with 'dangerous,' Dana-ssi."

"That's me. It's different for Guineung and you."

His gaze smoothed over. "It's supposed to be different," Osu said softly. "It's Guineung, me, and you."

"Whoa," Joo interrupted and leaned in inappropriately close toward Dana and Osu. "Am I totally getting a vibe here?" Osu smiled knowingly. Dana pinked because that was all wrath in her blood, none of that shitty, other feelings. "Here's something to say thank you and my dearest bad," he pretended to weep and handed something small from his pocket into Guineung's hand. Joo's tallest acquaintance lifted the panda onto their shoulders as Joo whispered a single instruction into his ear.

So all Guineung had to do was raise his arm above his adopted parents.

"Oh." Osu breathed wispy air amidst the snowflakes.

"What the hell," repeated Dana, louder this time.

Mistletoe hung over their heads, a spot of green popping against the expanse, white sky. Dana had her head fixated skyward then slightly lowered when Osu said, "I guess here's my gratitude." There were no ties today so Osu made do with tucking his finger into the sleep mask around her neck, pulling Dana's question-mark-infested head down in a moment, and he tilted his lips over hers.

 **.**

"Dana, will you pull it together?"

The rest of her day was passing in a hazy, snowy daze. Dana's day didn't just pass in a daze—well, no, if it was one reddened by rage, maybe—but she wasn't mad. Yes, peeved because her mother was nagging her like normal but not pissed. The knife in her hands tapped at her fingers, and Dana threw it aside to knock her head against the wall.

Hands on her love handles, her mother yelled, "Are you losing your mind?"

Dana asked back, "Am I?"

"You're supposed to say no!" Her mother rounded onto her shoulder, and Dana threw her hands up in a last-ditch effort to lessen the pain. Never worked, more of a gut reaction really. "Luda is never going to marry you at this rate!" she admonished, which was more gas to the fire.

Two options. She could lie or... No, Dana had to laugh at that. As if she had the option of lying. So she told her mother the truth. "We broke up, Mom," Dana said through her teeth.

" _What did you say?_ " Her mother appeared to be T minus five seconds of shoving her own daughter out their ten-story apartment."Why? When are you getting married then?"

"I graduated high school almost two years ago, Mom."

" _I said_ when are you getting married?"

Leaving their lunch to burn, Dana ground the palms of her hands into her eyes and said as calmly as she could, "I don't know, Mom." Before her mother could either yell at her or fill her in on her daughter's wedding plans, Dana focused back into cooking and didn't spare a look at her. That or go mad. "Can we talk about anything else? Mom. Did everything go well last—"

"Diane's mom said that her daughter already knows her boyfriend is proposing. After they graduate, of course, and then they're holding the wedding after medical school. But today, my eldest daughter tells me she has no one," her mother griped.

She couldn't help herself. Dana finally looked over and deadpanned, "Merry Christmas."

After Dana kneeled in front of her mother for a twenty minute lecture, she was finally allowed to leave. "Come back after you find yourself a future!" her mother yelled.

Rather than prolong an argument she could never win, Dana walked away silently. Maybe it was because she was approaching the elder stage of her young adult life, but her calves burned from kneeling for so long. She rubbed her palms across them as gingerly as she could before walking over to Hyena and Guineung in the living room. Both of them clambered into her lap. That was fine. Dana leaned against the sofa as the kids curled comfortably onto her, watching Christmas special cartoons.

The television did nothing to her but give Dana a moment to herself. She was avoiding that lately. Because if she had time to think then that meant her mind would wander immediately to a few hours before. Of white, warm palms sharing heat upon her cheeks, of an associated, soothing taste of some herbal teatime medicine, of a shocking absence of hatred but of—

Like a godsend, a text yanked her out of her dangerous-territory thoughts.

Dune and Judas wanted to inform her they were with family as she was. Judas's dad lived a couple units down while Dune's parents had moved into a less populated decided to travel for obvious reasons. So while Dune didn't live at his childhood home, he was still close to the neighborhood.

Which meant Dana had an idea and they'd usually go with her idea.

"Mom," Dana said, popping back into the kitchen, "I'm going outside for a little while."

Her mother hissed with a wave of a plastic ladle. "Leave us then. Like you do with everyone else." She grumbled that last part but what smartass comment could Dana retort?

Guineung promised to watch Hyena well for a half hour or two. He could entertain her with the innumerable amount of gifts he received from Osu anyway. An emerald bottle of sofu tucked into her coat, Dana hurried out of the apartment and headed toward a vacant alleyway between the pharmacy and that hipster coffee shop. Well, vacant if Dune and Judas weren't there already, mumbling and smoking like this was high school all over again.

Leaning against the alley's entrance, Dana said, "I thought you're trying to quit."

"Quit?" Judas barked out a husky laugh. "In this weather?"

Dune stared down at the cigarette in his fingers. "I'm afraid bad habits don't die at all. At least, they can't afford to right now," he sighed.

With a shrug, Dana dragged a couple plastic bins in a circle, dusted off the snow, and sat. Soju glinted from within her jacket. "Your liver or your lungs?"

With a shake of his head, Dune took a seat and crushed his cigarette. "Does it even matter for Judas and you? Aren't you meant to be invincible?" he asked as Dana reached out the bottle to him.

"I'm pretty sure I'm dying pretty soon at the rate this shitty industry is going," muttered Judas. After Dune took his shot, he passed the bottle to Judas, who over-poured into the bottle cap and sipped irately. Dana couldn't help smirking into a closed hand.

She said, "You knew it was going to be your funeral."

"Yeah, but it was to supposed to be after… After I win or something."

"When do we ever win?" laughed Dune. It was more of a sad, little laugh.

"We will." The looks Dune and Judas gave her were pitiful, but Dana had to believe in them. "You know there's more to what we have right now."

Dune gave a tentative smile. Judas rolled his eyes. "Okay, Section Chief-ssi."

"Congratulations, by the way," Dune said earnestly.

The bottle was in her hand again. There was enough left for each of them to take a shot. Therefore it made sense in Dana's head to stand up out of nowhere and walk over to the coffee shop next door. The cashier said she didn't have to, but she paid for three cups and walked back to the alleyway. Dune and Judas watched in total bemusement as she poured out approximately equal amounts in a paper cup labeled loopily ' _Happy Beans Forever_.'

"I'm not drinking from that," Judas said at once.

Dune accepted his, peered into the clear, white bottom, and smiled.

"This is a drink," Dana started and tipped her cup into the center. Dune did as well. Judas exhaled a whirlwind sigh of snowflakes and regret before doing so as well. "I might be Section Chief but there's more to this career to me than a promotion. I know you want to do more than a messenger boy, Dune, and you're going to do it. Judas, I don't know what the fuck you want, but you're going to win. Whatever that is."

He smirked. "The game."

"Yeah, whatever. A toast. I'm rooting for all of us," she concluded before they lamely touched cups with each other, tipped their head back, and downed it simultaneously. And when Dana swallowed, the familiarly loud, acidic burn tasted a little sweeter down her throat. It did settle warmly in her gut when the cold was setting over the silence, the thoughts of wherever their future were heading, it wasn't going to bring them back to brood pathetically in a deserted alleyway.

Dana wasn't too worried about that. More like the unfocused filter in her sight wasn't from the alcohol but because she was thinking too much, too hard about—

Fixated upon her cup, she said aloud, "I got kissed."

Snorting, Judas replied, "Kicked his ass this time?"

A smile lit up Dune's hollow countenance and brightened in tenfold when she said, "No. No, I was okay with it. They wanted to and I wasn't mad—I was okay with it?"

"Who the hell wants to kiss you?"

"You were always okay when it was Luda."

They knew about the break-up even before her mom did. Best friends received such privileges, though Judas took advantage when he could. Glaring at Judas, Dana said to Dune, "Yeah, but this one is— Weird as fuck. I don't know, but," she paused to lean forward, her arms crossed and settled upon her calves, "I didn't like it before, I hated it before, but now… I'm more okay with it than I was with Luda? Is that even possible?" she asked more so to herself than anyone else.

Dune and Judas didn't know what to make of her. Dune tried anyway, "That's growth, Dana. Though I'm not sure what sorts of growth, it sounds like a positive growth to me. That's entirely possible, I'd suppose?"

Ever the silver-tongued problem-solver, Judas suggested his solution, "I'd suppose you'd figure it out faster if you'd just sleep with him."

When Dune coolly told him to run for it, Judas ducked from Dana's make-do-chair-box almost smashing him in the nose before bounding up onto a dumpster, hooking onto a fire escape, onto laundry-lined roofs and racing his way home with his life on the line. Giving chase, Dana shouted literally for his bloody murder as Dune watched on the roof's sidelines, laughing all the while as it didn't matter to him whichever one of them won their silly, stupid game.

 **.**

The dorms of SPOON normally harbored several heroes around this time of night, but on the night of Christmas, it was deadly quiet. Dana would assume it was because everyone went home to their loved ones during the holidays—as they should be—however, one hero had stayed back to complete his mission. He did, very much successful, but it was his first personal mission, and when stupid Rosy called her about what he did, she had to step up into the shoes of someone she didn't really know how to fill.

How Doyoung-sunbaenim would do this, it would differ drastically from Dana's, but somehow—she hoped he would be okay with it.

With her hand holding a soju bottle, she tapped a dorm door. "Sasa?" she called and rapped her knuckles again. "Sasa, you in there?"

Any normal person would leave after five minutes of total silence, plus the fact that no one was here amplified that total nothingness in the air. But thanks to kids who always tested her patience, Dana could wait for all the time in the world. Plus she knocked on his door every minute or so. After another five, the door creaked open an inch.

A ghost of a voice whispered, "Pleath leabe me a'one." From what Dana could see of him, his usually attractive face was bandaged up pretty good.

Easily, she pushed through and said nothing else. Not until she could see the damage in full light and evaluate him for herself. Like she thought, the room was blanketed in absolute darkness, so she immediately turned a light on. Didn't seem to be too bad. Usually, heroes would hole themselves up like Sasa did very well. Though he apparently favored a blanket nest on the floor and left everything else in his minimalist room untouched. That was fine. Cleaning up was a bitch to do for other heroes. Dana took a seat on the floor, across from his blanket nest.

She motioned Sasa to return. He was still frozen near the door. Dana motioned again, this time glaring at him pointedly. That always seemed to work when he sat cross-legged like her, his fists upon his calves, his nails digging into his palms.

"Relax," said Dana and passed him a takeaway bag. "Rosy said you liked street food. Don't tell me you're not hungry because that's a lie. _Don't lie to me._ " It took a minute before he accepted. Though he ate very, very slowly like time wasn't of the essence. It wasn't but Dana did see his phone lighting up a few feet away. "If your family is calling, you gotta let them know. Not everything, but… Just let them know you're fine." Sasa listened to her again and Dana wished every hero was like him. Especially when they reached this point in herohood, it was a lot easier for the both of them.

After he ate and contacted his family, the dismal darkness around Sasa appeared to weaken as he lifted his head a little higher. His swelling, black and blue face. He got beat up pretty good. That and Dana noticed earlier how he limped on his right leg, how he reached for his phone with his bandaged wings stretching, how he got real fucked up.

Dana poured a shot, somewhat glad she never got to drink in person with Dune and Judas. She didn't know if she could one more shot as she poured for her and Sasa.

He spoke up, the first in the past hour, "Whath thith?"

Something foul blocked her throat and she swallowed it down. "Congratulations," Dana said and held her next breath on the tip of her tongue. "You completed your mission and defeated a villain."

Not immediate, but rarely heated, Sasa argued, "I killed thomebody."

Her fingers folded atop the rim of her drink. "It had to be done."

"I—I could'th—"

"Listen to me," Dana started and he looked at her, pitifully, tears starting up again. "I know what happened. You had two options." Another argument built behind Sasa's clenched lips and for someone who did not want to speak—Dana had to quiet him down. "To kill or to be killed. He was going to kill you, Sasa, so if there's any justice to this—you saved your own life."

"My gun," realized Sasa. His stare was vacant as the halls outside them as he bore a deep hole into the space above Dana's head.. "My gun… Hith knithe, my neck… I thought a'out life, Chieth. I thought and I thoved my gun to hith head and I—"

Rather than let him dig himself into a shitty hole any further, Dana elaborated beyond a simple moral complex. "It's not just you, Sasa. That villain killed your Doyoung-hyung first." It appeared he'd forgotten that and the lost look in his eyes faded to be a bit more found. "Look at it this way. You could've been his next victim. And we don't know how many more lives he would have taken if he'd killed you too, Sasa. He was a villain. You didn't just save your own life, but countless others, and you caught Doyoung-sunbaenim's murderer. You gave him justice too." At this point, Dana found it safe to slide a shot glass toward Sasa.

A quiet moment allowed him to absorb what she just said. To Dana, it felt like moments since he was too caught up in the fact that he killed someone. Ultimately, that someone was a villain. So what?

There was more to come, she was sure, she thought because she sure as hell was prepared for it.

Sasa didn't need to know that when he slid the drink closer to him. His gaze less susceptible to drift away like a boat tied to a harbor, he said to the clear glass, "I gabe 'im juthice."

"That's right."

"He gabe me eb'eryting and I... I gabe 'im juthice."

That was a mystery all in itself so Dana didn't touch it. "Drink to that, to Doyoung-sunbaenim." As casual as she could be spending a holiday night because of a hero's first kill, Dana clinked glasses with Sasa and congratulated him again, "Sasa, you just took down your first villain. To many more."

They downed for their and their colleagues' good fortune. Dana poured herself another because she could. Sasa made a wretched face and pushed his glass closer to her. Smirking into her glass, she poured another for him but he took tiny sips this time. Dana wouldn't have minded living out the rest of this night in silence but he lowered his glass to say, "Chieth Dana?"

She was staring at the bottle and thinking about it. "What?"

"He thaid thomething. Ath he wath dying," Sasa mumbled and planted a hand over his mouth, a hiccup.

Villains usually provided some shitty explanation for their shitty lives. "And?" she prompted.

"Thomething a'out love. He was hwaightin'... hwaightin' for love." There was a short pause when Sasa sipped and thanks to liquid courage, stated much louder for her to hear, "Hwaightin' for thomeone, hwaightin' for love. A billain. A billain who hwaighted for love, a Baekmorae."

—

* * *

 **a/n:** lmao it's been forever hasn't it?

my many thanks to **cuttoncandyhair** for the chapter idea  & the osudana-fangirling review hehehe and **EternalNocturne** for betaing and **divaileth** for your amazingly kind review :')


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